Few stories can make an audience roar with laughter one moment and reach for tissues the next. Steel Magnolias remains one of them.

Director Lee Lewis’ Australian production opened at His Majesty’s Theatre on Tuesday night to a packed house — attendees riding out the emotionally profound story with equal measures of giggles and tears.

Instead of reinventing the beloved classic, adapted into the 1989 film starring Dolly Parton, Sally Field, and Julia Roberts, Lewis embraced the play’s original form, allowing its six remarkable leading actresses to shine through razor-sharp dialogue and captivating stage presence.

Set entirely inside a Louisiana beauty salon, the play unfolds over several years as a tight-knit group of women navigate life’s greatest joys and deepest sorrows. It’s a deceptively simple premise elevated by Robert Harling’s extraordinary writing, inspired by the tragic loss of his sister. There’s no wonder its nuanced exploration of friendship, family and grief has kept Steel Magnolias resonating with audiences for nearly four decades.

The ensemble is, without question, the production’s greatest strength.

Leading its powerhouse cast is Lisa McCune — the four-time Gold Logie winner and WAAPA graduate – playing the devoted maternal role of M’Lynn Eatenton, memorably portrayed by Sally Field in the film. McCune recently revealed to STM that this return to Perth marks the first time she has been back on stage at His Majesty’s Theatre since she was a child extra in The Pirates of Penzance at the age of 13.

In this homecoming, McCune brings enormous warmth and restraint to her character, whose quiet composure gradually gives way to a devastating emotional climax. It would be easy to overplay the role but McCune’s measured performance makes the final act all the more powerful.

Home and Away’s Jessica Redmayne is effortlessly charming as Shelby, M’Lynn’s daughter. Her chemistry with McCune forms the emotional spine of the production.

Mandy Bishop, another WAAPA graduate, is wonderfully vibrant as Truvy. Bishop keeps the pace buoyant with impeccable comic timing, while Tracy Mann delivers elegance and wit as Clairee, formerly played by Debra Lawrence in cities prior to the Perth run.

Belinda Giblin steals countless laughs as the cantankerous Ouiser, whose perfectly timed one-liners repeatedly bring the house down, and Lotte Beckett gives Annelle a quietly satisfying transformation from timid newcomer to confident young woman.

Simone Romaniuk’s beautifully detailed set design deserves an applause in its own right. Every meticulously considered element adds to the salon’s rich sense of character — right down to the genuine 1980s hair magazines scattered throughout.

It’s a mistake to dismiss Steel Magnolias as simply a “women’s play” because of its all-female cast and heavy female focus. Though much of the action takes place inside a beauty salon, beneath the hairspray and humour is a profoundly human story about love, parenthood, friendship, loss and the families we choose. Those themes belong to everyone.

The same applies to the age of theatregoers – whether you’re a Baby Boomer with a deep affection for Steel Magnolias or a Gen Z theatregoer unfamiliar with its legacy, this production proves that great storytelling doesn’t belong to just one generation.

Steel Magnolias is playing at His Majesty’s Theatre until July 18. Tickets at www.artsculturetrust.wa.gov.au.

4.5 STARS