Southern Charm: Little Theatre Set To Present 'Steel Magnolias'

Laughter abounded on stage during a recent rehearsal for Greenwood Little Theatre’s “Steel Magnolias.”

Actors were running through Act 1, which is full of one-liners and is the play’s most prolonged act.

“There’s no such thing as natural beauty,” Connie Black intoned onstage as Truvy Jones, proprietor of the in-garage beauty shop where the play is set.

The shop is painted pastel pink, possibly in homage to the “blush and bashful” wedding colors of the character, Shelby, who is played by Julie Day Warren, and also a nod to the femininity of the play.

The play is a multigenerational narrative about six women preparing a young bride for her wedding day and living life alongside her in the aftermath.

Three pictures of casts from previous productions of “Steel Magnolias” frame the window at stage right. The photos are from the Little Theatre’s two earlier productions in 1991 and 2004 and the Sony TriStar film in 1989.

It is fitting for this production that these are the pictures in Truvy’s shop. Black, playing Truvy in this run of the play, can be seen in the cast photo from 1991, in which she played the role of Shelby.

Black’s character this time around acts as the mother hen to the five other women in the play, starkly different from the bride she played in ’91.

“Truvy is a loving character, and Shelby is, too, but she’s just younger. Truvy has that life lived,” Black said.

However, when asked how time affects the themes of the play, “I can’t say there’s a whoooole lot that’s changed,” Black said. “You still feel the emotions you did 30 years ago: empathy for the mother, the longing of the daughter, the friendship of these women.”

Black’s thought echoes the sentiments of Taylor Buchanan, the play’s director.

“‘Steel Magnolias’ shows the life of Truvy and snapshots of these women who are dear to her.

“You see the life and success of Clairee, the hardships and upbringing of Annelle, the entitlement and sassiness of Ouiser and how they hold their lives together,” he said.

Buchanan has participated in productions alongside Black as a musical director and member of the light and sound crew, but this show is his directorial debut.

He said he chose to direct this time partly because the Little Theatre needed somebody to produce a show and partly because of the theme.

“This play kind of spoke to me about my mother and how I feel about her, even though it’s a multisided play and you can take it a lot of different ways,” Buchanan said.

Eddie Amelung, a co-director, ran light and sound for the ’91 production and was assistant director for the 2004 production. He also chose to work on the play because of his connection with his mother.

“I grew up going with my mother to a beauty shop that was in a converted garage,” he said. “I love ‘Steel Magnolias’ because of the connection it has with the dialogue and how the women relate to each other,” he continued, alluding to his own experiences growing up.

The cast and crew are most excited about the relationship between the characters.

“I am most excited about the dynamic between characters, especially how they grow,” said Victoria Reed, who plays Annelle in the show.

“We’ve got such a good cast, too — oh my gosh! Such good chemistry and such a good time with these characters,” Connie Black added.

“‘Steel Magnolias’ is the quintessential Southern play,” said Bethany Tarpley, who portrays M’Lynn. “The whole cast quotes portions of it to each other all the time. We have all become so close, and I think the chemistry translates onstage.”

“Our actresses are phenomenal,” Buchanan said. He was echoed by the assistant stage manager, Sela Ricketts. “These are professionals. This is going to be a rockin’ show,” she said.