Steel Magnolias - The Play Tickets | Schedule for 2024/2025 Events

Steel Magnolias - The Play

Steel Magnolias is a comedy-drama play by Robert Harling. The title reflects women in the play- delicate as magnolia flowers but with a spine of steel.

The American writer created the plot based on his experience dealing with his sister's death from diabetic complications. The play shows the bond shared by women from the Southern US. It certainly makes for an intriguing play.

The play is set in a fictional town in Louisiana. A group of women meets at an in-house parlor to discuss Shelby's wedding with her fiancé, Jackson.

The Steel Magnolias play takes the audience through the next three years as Shelby is diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. The lives of the other women also change as they experience personal issues, have a few fights amongst themselves, and still continue to be friends.

The friendship between the women forms the core theme of the plot. The play was adapted into a film with the same title and released in 1989.

Background Information and History

Steel Magnolias - The Play was produced in 1987 at the WPA Theater in New York City. The play was an Off-Broadway production directed by Pamela Berlin. The play had a single set and an all-female cast. The production then moved to Lucille Lortel Theater two months after the premiere and continued to perform until the closing date in February 1990. It ran for a total of 1126 performances.

The production team went on a US tour in 1989 with a different cast. Margo Martindale was the only one to perform in the original versions and the tour. She aced the role of Truvy Jones, the woman who owns the in-house parlor where the others meet (basically the setting).

In 2005, the play opened at the Lyceum Theater, officially entering Broadway. Jason Moore directed this version. Rebecca Gayheart was Shelby, and Delta Burke was Turvy Jones. Steel Magnolias also premiered at the West End in 1989, with Julia McKenzie as the director. The play was produced in Australia in 1988, Poland in 1992, Japan in 2007, Sweden in 2008, Ireland in 2012, and France in 2014.

Steel Magnolias was made into a television film in 2012 with an African-American cast. The play continues to be a favorite of many who enjoy shows with a heartwarming theme of friendship between women.