Steel Magnolias • Centerstage Theatre Explores the Healing Power of Friendship

Within the vast body of work occupying the lexicon of contemporary American theatre, playwright Robert Harling’s intense, joyous, and heartbreakingly rendered play Steel Magnolias stands on many levels as one of the finest plays to emerge from the American stage over the past fifty years, making it a fitting choice for Midland Center’s Centerstage Theatre  to kick off their fall season with a series of performances running from October 11-13^th and 18-21^st. 

Based upon the author’s personal experience with his sister’s death, Steel Magnolias is a deftly crafted comedy–drama about the bond amongst a group of Southern women in northwest Louisiana.

The title itself suggests how the female characters are as delicate as magnolias but as tough as steel, plus it specifically references a magnolia tree this group of women  argue about at the beginning of the story, which opens with discussion of the character Shelby’s wedding day to her fiancé Jackson in the fictional northwestern Louisiana parish of an in-home beauty parlor where the women regularly gather. 

Although the main storyline involves Shelby, her mother M'Lynn, and Shelby's medical battles, the underlying group-friendship among these six pivotal women is prominent throughout the drama.

With so many layers & nuances embedded within the script of Steel Magnolias, which as noted earlier is equal parts comedy & drama – for director Adam Garner-Northrop  there are numerous themes and dynamics in this production he is striving to elicit and cultivate for audiences.

“Growing up I loved this movie and when I heard about Midland Center staging a production I wanted to jump on board with it because I love directing female casts, probably because of the rapport they tend to develop between one another,” he explains. “One of the big things I want to bring across it how these women range in age from 19 to 60, yet can discuss their trials and tribulations and find common ground despite the fact they all come from different economic backgrounds and social statuses.”

“We have a new young girl in town who just lost everything and a rich lady who has everything, so my focus is on showing the types of bonds we can from with one another through tragedy and put our differences aside to come together, which is a universal theme yet timely right now because it opens us to the possibility to set aside our differences to find common ground and love, appreciate, and respect one another,” he continues. 

“These women are often crying on the inside and laughing on the outside, but even their subtext of sorrow and loneliness and fear are balanced by joy and camaraderie and security.” 

Adam says the final selection of the six actors chosen to live life and develop the characters of these six women came down to the dynamics and chemistry they  generated between one another during auditions, and consist of Ashley Potts in the role of M’Lynn, Amy Delaney as Shelby, Brooke Gomez as Truvy, Susie Polito as Clairee, Ann Russell-Lutenske as Ouiser, and Grace Lutenske as Annelle.

“We had 38 women audition for these roles and I could have cast this production three times over because all the actors were so stellar, but for me what it came down to was finding the right balance between the six characters so they aren’t all at the same energy level, because I was looking more for contrast on the stage by seeing the whole puzzle rather than six individuals - I was casting for the group dynamic and the chemistry between them.”

Regarding the specific appeal of Steel Magnolias and what Adam feels most distinguishes this play and makes it so appealing to audiences, he quickly points to the powerful poignancy of the work as a whole.

“To me even when I’m directing this show is the fact there is so much relatability with so many of the things that happen between these characters that summarize feelings about things like grief and loss we’ve all felt before, yet find solace and levity from the friendships that we form, which to my mind is what makes it such a timeless piece,” he reflects.

“You find yourself in these moments and share these things that happen between this group of friends that also can happen personally with each of us, and it’s fun to get lost in this piece because while it’s so hilarious, those heartbreaking moments pull you in and touch you in such deep way, which is why I think this play has stood the test of time.”

“That’s what I also love about directing this play,” concludes Adam “The cast came into rehearsals on day one full of trust and I knew everybody was on their A-Game, so they built a rapport with one another instantly, we got everything blocked, and now they’re just having fun, which is awesome to watch. Not only are they building character relationships, but they’re building relationships between themselves, which comes through in the performances.”

The Center Stage Theatre production of ‘Steel Magnolias’ will take place in the Little Theatre at Midland Center for the Arts, 1801 W. St. Andrews Rd., with performances Friday through Sunday October 11-13 & 18-20^th. Tickets start at $20.50 and performance times are at 7:30 pm with 2:00 pm Sunday matinees. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.midlandcenter.org.