`MAGNOLIAS' IN FULL BLOOM : CONEJO PLAYERS DEPICT FLAVOR OF SOUTHERN LIFE.

Byline: Victoria Giraud Special to the Daily News

The most outstanding plays are those that linger, reminding us with telling observation, humor and tears of the beauty and pain of the human condition. So it goes with ``Steel Magnolias'' at Conejo Players.

The ladies of Truvy's beauty parlor in Chinquapin Parish, La., involve the audience in their lives from start to finish. They are the steel magnolias - the flower of Southern womanhood tempered with the steel of character and survival, despite life's frustrations and heartbreak. We laugh and applaud their gutsy, spicy remarks and cry when one of them dies young.

Patient and kindhearted Truvy (warmly played by Cindy Cowan), runs a small-town beauty parlor and she's involved in her customer friends' lives. When Annelle, a shy, bewildered young woman who's new in town (the wistful Jennifer Jennings) comes for a job, Truvy is only too willing to help.

Longtime customer M'Lynn (a finely etched portrayal by Eva Swackhamer), is a psychologist with a feisty husband and a very independent but loving daughter, Shelby (a well-rounded performance by the very talented Sandy Gaskell), who is a diabetic.

Outspoken Clairee (the entertaining JoAnna Jocelyn) is the former first lady of Chinquapin, a widow looking for things to do with her tireless energy. The outrageously sarcastic Ouiser (vividly rendered by Gail James) is a town character; her tough outside belies the true feeling beneath. Zachary Spencer was the voice of the radio disk jockey.

These are all women we'd love to know, and during the course of the play we learn their strengths and weaknesses as they continue to grow and change with life's challenges, using humor as their weapon to fight back.

The beauty parlor set was particularly authentic (set design by Dayne Jervis) with hairdos actually performed on stage. Filling in the gaps for hair changes was Karen Althaus, Hair Styling and Wig Wrangler. Compliments also to director Bailey Spencer-Jackson.

THE FACTS

WHAT: ``Steel Magnolias,'' by Robert Harling.

WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, through Sept. 28.

WHERE: The Conejo Players, 351 S. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks.

INFORMATION: [phone].

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Cast members in ``Steel Magnolias'' react as Shelby(Sandy Gaskell), center, discloses she's pregnant.