Posts Tagged ‘steel magnolias’

Tesseract’s “Steel Magnolias” Features Strong Cast, Memorable Atmosphere

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , on July 30, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Steel Magnolias
by Robert Harling
Directed by Kathryn Bentley
Tesseract Theatre Company
July 27, 2025

Victoria Pines, Margery A. Handy, Joana Dominguez, Lynett Vallejo, Lillie Self-Miller
Photo: Tesseract Theatre Company

Tesseract Theatre Company is currently staging a well-known, oft-staged play in way you may not have seen it before. Best known for the 1989 film based on Robert Harling’s play, Steel Magnolias was also filmed again for television in 2012 with an almost all-Black cast. Tesseract’s production is in a similar vein as the more recent movie, with an all POC cast while maintaining the play’s 1980s Louisiana setting. The casting and direction by Kathryn Bentley honors the setting of the play while also granting a fresh perspective on the characters, while also highlighting the universality of the play’s themes of friendship, family, and the happiness and sorrows of life throughout the changing seasons. 

Unlike the films, which added characters and scenes, the cast and setting of Steel Magnolias the play is simple–six characters, one location. The center of the action is the beauty parlor that Truvy (Joana Dominguez) runs out of her home’s converted garage, and as the play opens, she hires on a new employee–the timid Annelle (Lillie Self-Miller). Soon, we meet the regulars of the shop, including the town’s former First Lady, Clairee (Victoria Pines), the snarky Ouiser (Tammy O’Donnell), and mother and daughter M’Lynn (Margery A. Handy) and Shelby (Lynett Vallejo) as the two prepare for Shelby’s wedding. The main focus in this story is on these two, as the protective M’Lynn is concerned for the health of Shelby, who has diabetes and has been advised by her doctor not to have children. When she does become pregnant, this is cause for more concern for M’Lynn. There’s much in the way of “Southern charm” and culture throughout, with a few modifications reflecting the casting that work well and add a new perspective to the story while also maintaining the spirit of the play.

There are triumphs, tragedies, quirky stories, and a good deal of Southern humor, directed with attention to time, place, and character by Kathryn Bentley, and played with credible energy and engaging humor and warmth by the strong cast, although there are a few moments in which the comic timing could be improved, and there was bit of struggling with lines at times. The cast is strong across the board, with Handy and Vallejo especially shining as the protective M’Lynn and an especially upbeat and memorable Shelby. Pines is also excellent as the cosmopolitan Clairee, and O’Donnell has some fun comic moments as the hilariously crass Ouiser. Dominguez as Truvy is also warm and likable, and Self-Miller is especially convincing as Annelle, who undergoes quite a bit of change throughout the story. The ensemble chemistry and friendship bond is strong among the cast, and there’s a good measure of humor and poignancy, including an especially well-handled fourth act, where the drama comes out in force, but the sense of humor and hope are still there to balance it out.

The set by Brittanie Gunn is detailed and well-appointed, with a credible 80s vibe, and the costume and wig design by Shevaré Perry also adds an authentic, stylish flair. There’s also good work from Cheyenne Grooms on lighting and Stan Chisholm on sound. Overall, the look and feel of the Louisiana beauty shop, circa 1989 is well established and maintained, and the characters are given a suitable stage to shine.

Steel Magnolias is a popular show, and many theatre companies have presented it over the years. Tesseract’s latest production keeps the familiar 1980s vibe but adds an additional perspective that brings out a strong sense of the characters from a different angle. It’s well-cast, it’s full of heart and energy, and it’s likely to provoke laughter and tears from the audience. I’ve been impressed by Tesseract’s work lately, and this show is another fine example. 

Tammy O’Donnell, Margery A. Handy
Photo by Florence Flick
Tesseract Theatre Company

The Tesseract Theatre Company is presenting Steel Magnolias at the Marcelle Theatre until August 10th, 2025

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STAGES Brings Another Successful Play with Memorable “Steel Magnolias”

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , on June 10, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Steel Magnolias
by Robert Harling
Directed by Paige Price
STAGES St. Louis
June 5, 2024

Kari Ely, Taylor Quick, Jilanne Marie Klaus, Amy Loui, Abigail Isom
Photo by Phillip Hamer
STAGES St. Louis

After last year’s resounding success staging a non-musical play, the multi-award-winning Clue, STAGES St. Louis is at it again. This time, they’re opening their season with Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias, which is perhaps best known from its 1989 film adaptation starring Sally Field, Julia Roberts, and Dolly Parton. Here, director Paige Price has put together a funny, heartfelt production that’s an excellent showcase for a talented cast. 

The stage version of this story has a smaller cast–only six characters–and a fixed setting, the small-town Louisiana beauty parlor owned and operated by Truvy (Jilanne Marie Klaus), who at the start of the play is hiring a new stylist, the skilled but timid Annelle (Abigail Isom). In four scenes stretched out over two acts, the play tells its story as we meet the customers–mother and daughter M’Lynn (Amy Loui) and Shelby (Taylor Quick); along with the personable Clairee (Kari Ely)–the widow of the town’s longtime mayor–and the curmudgeonly Ouiser (Zoe Vonder Haar), who lives next door to M’Lynn and her family. Although we get to know all of the characters, the main focus is on Shelby and M’Lynn, who have a close relationship but clash over various issues, from quibbles over Shelby’s wedding plans to more serious concerns about her health, as the diabetic Shelby yearns for a child, getting pregnant against her doctor’s advice and to the consternation of her mother. It’s a characterful story, with a good deal of humor along with moments of poignancy and sadness, as the characters laugh together, share town gossip, share aspirations and regrets, and cry together as the seasons change and life moves on in their small Southern town.

One of the most striking aspects of this particular production of this oft-performed play is the magnificent set by Kate Rance, which is notable for its detail and 1980s atmosphere. The costumes by Brad Musgrove and the wig and hair design by Daniel Paller also contribute much to the characterization and era of the story. There’s also excellent lighting design by Sean M. Savoie and sound by Nevin Steinberg, with fun use of classic pop songs to fit the mood of the show. 

The casting is especially strong, with all the performers playing their roles well, despite occasional uneven accents. Loui and Quick make a believable mother-daughter pair as the protective M’Lynn and determined Shelby. They are supported by excellent performances from the always great Vonder Haar as the snarky but likable Ouiser and Ely as the more cosmopolitan Clairee. Klaus is also strong as the encouraging, bubbly Truvy, and Isom impresses as the character who changes the most in this show–the initially timid, then outgoing, then devout Annelle.  The sense of friendship among these six characters is essentially what makes this play work, and the cast does a commendable job conveying that believable bond. They also work well with the play’s shifting moods from comedy to drama, and from hope to heartbreak. 

Ultimately, this production succeeds by the strength of its cast, and the well-measured pacing by its director, Paige Price. This is a well-known story, and it’s a lively, emotional, well-told tale. The two plays and a musical format for the STAGES season is working out well, and I find myself hoping they continue this formula in the future.

Amy Loui, Zoe Vonder Haar, Taylor Quick, Abigail Isom Photo by Phillip Hamer STAGES St. Louis

STAGES St. Louis is presenting Steel Magnolias at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center until June 30, 2024

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“Steel Magnolias” at Stray Dog Theatre is Funny, Poignant

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , on December 7, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Steel Magnolias
by Robert Harling
Directed by Gary F. Bell
Stray Dog Theatre
November 30, 2017

Sarah Gene Dowling, Eileen Engel, Andra Harkins, Alison Linderer, Jenni Ryan
Photo by John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre

Stray Dog Theatre’s latest production is of a well-known play that I, and I assume many others, have previously only seen in its even more well-known 1989 film version. On stage, Steel Magnolias is similar to the film in that it serves as an excellent showcase for a strong cast of women, only it’s notably different in structure and somewhat in focus. It’s a character study, essentially, not just of people but of a time and place as well.

Unlike the film that “opens up” the story and features some of the characters only talked about in the play, the stage version has an all-female cast and takes place in only one location, the small-town Louisiana beauty shop owned by personable stylist Truvy Jones (Sarah Gene Dowling). The play starts out as Truvy is hiring a new employee, the initially shy and guarded Annelle (Alison Linderer), and then the story unfolds in four scenes spanning a two-year period from April 1987 to November 1989. Over the course of the story, we meet several of the “regulars” in Truvy’s shop, learning about their characters and the atmosphere and traditions of the town in which they live and the people who populate their lives, even though we don’t actually meet anyone except for the six main characters. There’s the lovably cranky Ouiser (Andra Harkins) and her old friend, Clairee (Liz Mischel), who is the widow of the town’s former mayor and who shares a snarky but affectionate friendship with Ouiser. There’s also M’Lynn (Jenni Ryan), a local social worker and overworked mother whose eldest child Shelby (Eileen Engel) is preparing to get married. The story, while featuring all of the characters well, soon focuses primarily on M’Lynn and Shelby’s story, as we learn of Shelby’s desire to have children despite her serious health concerns, and M’Lynn’s struggle to accept her adult child’s decisions even when she doesn’t think they are wise. It’s a story full of character moments, lots of humor and stories of life in this small Southern town, as well as some poignant and even heartbreaking moments of drama. For the most part, though, even with the intense emotional moments, the overall tone is more comic than tragic, and the overall message seems to be one of hope through the up and down moments of life.

The casting here is strong, with all the performers suiting their roles well. Dowling gives a solid performance as the kind, dependable Truvy, and Linderer is especially impressive as the character who undergoes the most change in the play, the shy, then secretive, then fun-loving, then devout Annelle. Mischel and Harkins lend excellent support as the snarky but loving long-time friends Clairee and Ouiser, and Ryan and Engel portray a believable, poignant mother-daughter relationship as the concerned M’Lynn and the sometimes frustrating upbeat Shelby. The interplay between all six performers is strong, as well, which is essential to this play that depends largely on ensemble chemistry for its humor and its drama. The 1980’s look and atmosphere is well-maintained as well by means of Josh Smith’s detailed unit set, and the colorful, period-specific costumes by Engel and director Gary F. Bell. Tyler Duenow’s lighting also contributes well to the overall atmosphere of this production.

This is a story about women and their relationships, as friends, mothers, daughters, and neighbors. It’s also a specifically Southern play, with strong dialogue and a well-realized setting and tone. It’s essentially the same story as the 1989 film, but the structure makes some of the story elements play a little differently, and the overall tone is more intimate. It’s another memorable show from Stray Dog Theatre.

Alison Linderer, Liz Mischel, Andra Harkins, Eileen Engel
Photo by John Lamb
Stray Dog Theatre

Stray Dog Theatre is presenting Steel Magnolias at Tower Grove Abbey until December 16, 2017.

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