Racine Theatre Guild

Steel Magnolias - 2008

Steel Magnolias
Opens Oct. 24

When the RTG produced Steel Magnolias in 1991, it was a sellout hit. Now returning as a bonus show, this popular play about women experiencing friendship and loss opens Friday, October 24, and plays two weekends through November 2.

Robert Harling wrote this play as a tribute to his sister, and it is remarkable that a man could portray six women with such wit, intelligence and sensitivity, set in the women’s domain of a hair salon. In a small town in Louisiana, Truvy runs her beauty shop, where she listens to her clients and cares about their lives as the women meet, gossip and let their hair down.

While much of the action takes place off stage, we hear all the women discuss and react to it. Truvy has just hired a young assistant, Annelle, in the opening scene, telling her, “There is no such thing as natural beauty.” It is a Saturday when Truvy devotes her time to the women of the neighborhood.

Clairee, the widow of the mayor, faces life with a sense of humor and style, and she loves football and keeping up with all the doings in town. M’Lynn is dedicated to her family and career, especially to her daughter Shelby, who is having her hair done for her wedding day. Ouiser, the town curmudgeon, who calls Keep Off the Grass signs her Christmas yard decorations, arrives with her elderly dog.

The show revolves around these six women, and we find out more about them in each of the play’s four scenes, covering two and a half years. We find out that Shelby is a diabetic, and we go from her wedding day in April, to Christmas, to June of the following year, and then November. As we see the women in the four seasons of the year, we also see the cycle of life, birth, death and hope. The underlying strength of friendship and love carries the women forward. They are the “steel” inside the fragile magnolia blossoms.

Those who are only familiar with the movie will find much of the same witty dialogue, but the focus is only on what is shared in the beauty shop, where men are discussed, not seen. Truvy holds the group together, explaining to Annelle, “We enjoy being nice to each other. There’s not much else to do in this town.”

Critics raved when Steel Magnolias opened in New York in 1987 and ran for two years. “A superb, funny, deeply moving play,” wrote Howard Kissel. “Robert Harling creates a genuine feeling of community and gives us a powerful understanding of the sometimes ironic, sometimes rueful, unflinchingly honest sense of themselves these women have.”

The Racine Theatre Guild’s production of Steel Magnolias is a bonus show, and runs for eight performances over two weekends. Call the Theatre Guild Box Office at 633-4218 to order tickets. Call now to reserve your seats. You won’t want to miss this new production of a great play where you will meet six interesting and funny female characters who help each other through thick and thin.

From the Managing/Artistic Director - Doug Instenes

A Modern Classic

Steel Magnolias went from a two-year run Off Broadway in 1987, to a successful movie in 1989 and then to Broadway in 2005 for a successful run with Delta Burke as Truvy. A show with that kind of track record is worthy of repeating on our stage.

One of the things that carries the show is that the women are not stereotyped southern belles, but smart, caring people who let us eavesdrop on their lives. And we see it all as a group of friends interact in a beauty shop.

This show is filled with laughter and comedy, yet it is not a sit-com or a character comedy. Rather, it is a play about human nature, about love, friendship, laughter and courage. The joys and sorrows felt by these six women are universal themes for everyone.

Because this is a Bonus Show, it only runs two weekends, and you’ll want to buy your tickets soon. The RTG’s 1991 production of Steel Magnolias, directed by Norm McPhee, was one of the hits of that season. This version, directed by Tom Spraker, will have a fresh interpretation, with a new take on the humor and the bits of business that directors add. It is certainly one of the “don’t miss” plays of this season.

Remember, it’s not too late to buy season tickets or flex passes. With a great lineup of shows for Season 71, you’ll have guaranteed seats for a slate of plays filled with laughter and great music. Beauty and the Beast is in rehearsal right now and will surely enchant you. Three more comedies and the great musical Godspell await you. Let the RTG light up your life with the best in community theatre!

Cast & Crew

STEEL MAGNOLIAS

by Robert Harling