Southern Strength, Humor, and Charm Abound in Steel Magnolias

The Cast of PlayMakers Repertory Company's Steel Magnolias. Photo by HuthPhoto. 

Since its debut in 1987 and its subsequent star-studded film adaptation, Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias has become a true Southern classic. It gives viewers an up-close-and-personal look at six tough-as-nails women who weather life’s challenges together. With a fly-on-the-wall perspective, the audiences watches as the women gather at Truvy’s Beauty Spot to vent and be made ready to face the world. The 80s setting, true-to-life dialogue, and heartfelt plot all meld together to create an enduring story of sisterhood and strength.

Currently, this beloved tale is gracing the stage through PlayMakers Repertory Company. With intimate, sensitive direction from Lisa Rothe and a star-studded cast of its own, this production holds true to the heart of the story and proves how timeless it truly is.

Spunky Truvy (Kathryn Hunter-Williams) serves as the script’s uniting character. After all, it is through her and her shop that these women bond . . . and what a shop it is! Set designer Narelle Sissons pulls out all the stops to bring Truvy’s Beauty Spot to life. Complete with aqua floors, old-fashioned drying chairs, and even a real 80s Caboodle, Truvy’s offers an authentic glimpse into the past. And, while the beauty shop setting never changes, smart lighting and decor choices, along with careful dialogue cues, guide viewers through the changing seasons and rapidly-passing time. Though the show only has a runtime of around two and a half hours, it spans approximately three years in the characters’ lives.

A lot can happen in three years, and it certainly does in this story. In fact, a lot happens in the very first scene. Here, viewers meet the beautiful, full-of-life Shelby (Elizabeth Dye) as she prepares for her wedding day. She’s joined by her doting but overprotective mother, M’Lynn (Sharon Lawrence) and long-time friends Ouiser (Julia Gibson) and Clairee (Thursday Farrar). Ouiser happens to be the very disgruntled neighbor of Shelby’s mother, and she’s constantly feuding with M’Lynn’s unseen husband. However, she doesn’t allow that drama to affect her friendship with the beauty shop crew, a crew that expands to include one more in the opening scene. That “one more” is none other than the mysterious, conflicted Annelle (Caroline Marques), a young woman who has been hired to work at Truvy’s. 

With the stage set and the key characters introduced, Steel Magnolias swings into action. Viewers learn about Shelby’s severe diabetes and her desire to have a “normal” life in spite of it. Later, they listen as she talks about the baby she’s had against doctor’s orders and the subsequent dialysis treatments she requires. M’Lynn has her own opinions about Shelby’s choices, and she’s not afraid to voice them, often creating tension between the two. However, there’s an undeniable love there as well, a love that infiltrates every scene.

While Shelby and M’Lynn’s story is the central focus, the other characters undergo transitions of their own. Truvy becomes a sort of mother to Annelle, who goes on a faith journey and falls in love, while Clairee starts to live again after being widowed and Ouiser learns to (grudgingly) accept the love and good-natured teasing her friends shower upon her.

Because this play is less about action and more about relationships, each performance must be strong and clear, a feat that this talented cast accomplishes with grace. Hunter-Williams is like a pint-sized ball of energy and charm in her turn as the dominating Truvy. She leans into the character’s strength and tenacity while still adding the right pinch of sweetness. Truvy’s relationship with Annelle feels real and endearing, thanks in large part to Marques’ humor-filled, slightly neurotic portrayal. She plays her role with a believable innocence and acts as a foil to Julia Gibson’s sharp-tongued but always hilarious Ouiser. The legendary Farrar is a living, breathing lesson in Southern class with her perfect accent, upright posture, and penchant for delivering an insult with demurity.

The characters of Shelby and M’Lynn call for the most emotional labor, and Dye and Lawrence prove they’re up for the challenge. Dye is a breath of fresh air as the upbeat, ebullient Shelby. Her zest for life, her stubbornness, and her care for others all come through in Dye’s richly layered portrayal. As M’Lynn, Lawrence plays the majority of her part with a strong-as-stone demeanor and an unflinching wisdom. However, the moment her character breaks is the most compelling. This moment is one that the entire story builds up to, a moment so human and painful that it’s unforgettable, and Lawrence handles it with a genuine, heart-wrenching emotionality.

Rothe directs her female cast in a way that always feels natural and that adds nuance to the script. They flit around the beauty shop and, in the case of Shelby and M’Lynn, frequently position their bodies in ways that reveal their feelings toward one another. In the story’s most intense moments, such as the aforementioned scene with M’Lynn, there is a sobering stillness to the usually busy direction, a stillness that feels powerful, sacred, and immensely effective. Cat Tate Starmer’s bright lighting and Grier Coleman’s 80s-authentic, film-inspired costumes also add to the realistic, encompassing feel.

The 80s setting is fun and whimsical, but, just like Southern charm, it’s a cheerful facade for something very real and human. At its core, Steel Magnolias is a story about love and the strength required to live an authentic life. In this version, that simple, inspiring story never gets lost. Instead, it shines through at every moment, resulting in something undeniably beautiful.

-Susie Potter