Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling (1987)

 

TW:

 

SYNOPSIS

            Annelle has just been hired to assist Truvy with her in home salon on the morning of Shelby’s wedding just in time for the neighborhood ladies to start showing up for their appointments. Truvy all but legally adopts Annelle after discovering the girl’s unfortunate luck with a runaway husband being hunted by the law. Several months pass and Shelby visits for Christmas surprising the girls with the news that she’s pregnant despite doctors discouraging her from it due to her diabetes. She survives the pregnancy and gives birth to a healthy son, but her kidneys fail to keep up with her body’s demands. Her mother, M’Lynn, plans to give her a kidney, but it doesn’t take. Shelby doesn’t survive the surgical attempt to fix the problem.

 

CHARACTERS

Truvy Jones – 40s, Owner of Beauty Shop

Annelle Dupuy-Desoto – 19, Shop Assistant

Claire Belcher – 66, Mayor’s Widow, Grande Dame, Self-Described as Fat

Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie – 25, Prettiest Girl in Town

M’Lynn Eatenton – 50s, Shelby’s Mother, Socially Prominent Career Woman

Ouiser (Pronounced “Weezer”) Bourdeaux – 66, Wealthy Curmudgeon, Acerbic but Loveable

 

POSSIBLE MONOLOGUES

            M’Lynn has the most famous monologue from the show about her daughter’s final moments. If desired, it can be lengthened with cuts from her earlier lines.

            Annelle also has a monologue about how she processes Shelby’s death in accordance with her religion. Could be a good choice for a younger actress wanting to use something from this play for a dramatic piece.

 

PERSONAL THOUGHTS

            It’s Steel Magnolias, a classic, especially amongst Southerners, that continues to hold up. This play was written as part of Robert Harling’s grieving process after losing his sister to post-partum complications due to diabetes. The movie trailer doesn’t exaggerate much billing it as the funniest comedy that will make you cry. The play is deeply set in the 80s and the most out of tune jokes with a 2020s audience would be the ones at the expense of the ladies’ husbands, but personally I see them as being very indicative of how the nature of marriage has changed drastically over the last few decades. These women were married in the 50s and 60s when women didn’t have many options and still heavily depended on marrying quick and well. That sort of thing is hard to rebel against when it’s been your norm for 20-30 years.

            At it’s heart, Steel Magnolias is a play about friendship through the ups and especially the downs. It’s very heartwarming throughout and a show I think everyone should experience.