Sisters staging it for themselves

Donogh (left) and Amanda Rees are enjoying the convergence of their careers. Picture / Carolyn Elliott

The sisterhood takes on a new meaning in a production of Steel Magnolias opening this week at the Herald Theatre.

At first glance, Steel Magnolias is theatrical chick lit. Set in smalltown Louisiana, it is about a group of women, their gossip and friendships, their lives' milestones.

But such a judgment does the play a disservice, because it is also a rare beast. Despite Auckland theatregoers' treat of the SiLo Theatre's sell-out season of The Women, it remains uncommon to find a true ensemble piece offering substantial roles to a group of women of all ages.

Steel Magnolias gives actresses, from recent graduates to seasoned professionals, a chance to command centrestage together.

And the project is shared by thespian sisters, Donogh and Amanda Rees. Amanda directs, while Donogh, familiar to Shortland Street viewers as Judy Brownlee, acts.

"It's a timeless piece," says Amanda. "It's about the support of friends through major life events: birth, marriage, getting older, death.

"I first read the play when I was at drama school. It was the play in Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin but was never done in Auckland because it was just after the Mercury Theatre closed."

"It is incredibly well-written, a modern classic," adds Donogh. "They are about to remount it on Broadway, an idea they have obviously stolen from us."

Sitting on the grass under a tree outside their rehearsal room, the pair are unmistakably related. There is the physical resemblance, a natural ease of togetherness, and the way the duo finish each other's sentences.

"It's got a wonderful age range," says Amanda. "I really relish it. The actors fresh out of school bring new ideas and a real enthusiasm for their profession, and the older actors bring wisdom and a wealth of knowledge from working in the profession for years. It's rare to find fabulous characters for older women ... "

" ... and for them to be roles of equal weight and importance," chimes in Donogh. "It's also a treat for audiences to see older actors on stage, older bodies, with all those physical characteristics of ageing.

"And these are feisty, lovely characters. There is always an extraordinary potency when you have a group of women together in a play."

Set in the 1980s ("It has to be," says Amanda, "because of the big hair"), the play centres around sessions at the local beauty parlour.

"It is very funny," says Donogh. "In the movie, the events we hear about in the salon were played out on screen. But in the play it is all about story-telling.

"There are these wonderful stories and images, and other characters adding embellishments, and then these pictures and events build in the audience's minds until they are rolling in the aisles with laughter.

"Besides, everyone can relate to how much you give away at a beauty salon. How many secrets you let out, or hear the secrets of the person sitting next to you."

The sisters are convinced that playwright Robert Harling has a thorough understanding and a healthy respect for female relationships.

"He also wrote The First Wives' Club, which is also about women being strong and stroppy," says Amanda. "I'm sure there are strong women in his life and his hometown.

"There is no sending up of women in his writing, although that's not to mean that the characters don't send themselves up. Harling gets into women's ways of being and enjoys it. It is not a critical eye, and that underlies the play's strength."

Amanda and Donogh are no strangers to working together. They have collaborated on plays, and ran a small business together, presenting shows for preschoolers.

"Then there were the endless boring shows we put on as children for our parents to suffer through," groans Donogh.

The Rees sisters boast the perfect childhood to help invoke the sultry, languid Louisiana setting. Although born in Auckland, they spent much of their early childhood in Fiji, where their father worked as a surveyor.

"I can totally remember the smell of the Queen of the Night, the geraniums," says Donogh. "Growing up in Fiji, we saw so many different ways of life, different cultures and perspectives. This was in the 60s, and I'm sure we had a more expansive and interesting childhood than our contemporaries back here."

They took different roads to acting - Donogh trained with Auckland's Theatre Corporate, Amanda went to Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School nearly a decade later, after university. There is no apparent rivalry, just a tangible pleasure that their careers have converged.

"There are shortcuts in our language," says Amanda.

"On stage together, our timing is really quite good," adds Donogh.

"We know each other so well," they both smile.

Performance

*What: Steel Magnolias

*Where and When: Herald Theatre, tonight to Feb 13