In Steel Magnolias, which opened at the Canberra Theatre Centre on Thursday night, acting royalty Belinda Giblin plays the character of Ouiser the town curmudgeon who utters the immortal line: "I'm not crazy, I've just been in a very bad mood for 40 years".
"The audience start laughing even before I finish the line," she said.
Giblin's ability to transform is in full view in the play because in real life she revels in a certain joie de vivre, a million miles away from grumpy Ouiser.
The 76-year-old actress was out and about with some of her castmates at Canberra restaurant Akiba on Tuesday night, as they started to enjoy their season in the national capital, with shows running up to and including June 21.
"And we had the famous lychee martinis, and I have to say that's been a highlight," Giblin said, with a laugh.
The all-star cast has settled into Canberra for their seven-show season, already visiting the National Arboretum and National Portrait Galley - where a photograph of Giblin is in the collection.
"That's a beautiful photograph," co-star Lisa McCune confirmed.
Female friendship is at the heart of Steel Magnolias, which was a play before it became the iconic 1989 movie about love, loss and some zinger one-liners.
Lisa McCune plays M'Lynn, Belinda Giblin is Ouiser, Debra Lawrence is Clairee, Mandy Bishop is Truvy, Jessica Redmayne is Shelby and Lotte Beckett is Annelle, Southern women all, with steels of spine. They gossip, argue, share joys and tragedies in Truvy's beauty salon, created for this production in all its pastel green and pink vintage glory by costume and set designer Simone Romaniuk.
Giblin said working with the other women had been "absolutely delightful".
"It's a joy. And how lucky we are to have all just met up? None of us have worked together before. So, right from day one, I thought, 'This is good'," she said.
Lisa McCune, who has won four Gold Logies for her work in television, said Steel Magnolias was an iconic movie but she didn't go back to watch it as part of her preparation for the play.
"There's so much material about the play and how [Robert Harling] came to write it, so when you start doing a bit of deep dive into the research, it's so rich, you didn't kind of need to go back to the film," she said.
"And our chemistry's very different too."
Newcomer Lotte Beckett plays Annelle in the show.
"I think people come to the show, they do go, 'Oh, you're the Daryl Hannah character or the Dolly Parton character' but I think what they remember more is the script and the iconic lines and the story of what happens. The story is the most important thing," she said.
Beckett, 26, is loving working with some of Australia's acting legends.
"There are not many plays which have so many great roles for women across the generations and to be in one of my first professional shows in a cult classic, a beloved piece is very special, and to work with these guys," she said.
Belinda Giblin and Lisa McCune are enjoying it too.
"I'm the oldest member of the group and it's so energising to be working with younger people," Giblin said.
It's not just women who come to see the show. Men love it too. Even Giblin's 14-year-old grandson has given it the thumbs up.
"We have massive laughter juxtaposed 10 seconds later with people sobbing so that's the writing. Robert Harling's writing just grabs you," she said.
And stage veteran McCune, who has starred in musicals including Cabaret, The King and I and The Sound of Music, was thrilled to see Canberra's new 2000-seat lyric theatre under construction, right next to the existing theatre, the new venue being built to attract musicals, operas, ballet and international acts to Canberra.
"It's so exciting," she said.
Tickets are available from steelmagnoliasplay.com
