Steel Magnolias
Encyclopedia : S : ST : STE : Steel Magnolias
Steel Magnolias, by Robert Harling, is a 1987 off-Broadway play, made into a successful movie in 1989. Based on the author's experience with the death of his sister, Steel Magnolias is a comedy-drama about the bond among a group of southern women in northwest Louisiana.
Synopsis
The action centers around Truvy's beauty parlor and some women who regularly gather there. The drama begins on the morning of Shelby's wedding to Jackson and covers events over the next few years, including Shelby's decision to have a child despite being diabetic and the consequences that result from the decision. We also get a glimpse of the unlikely friendship between Clairee and Ouiser; Annelle's transformations from a shy, anxious newcomer in town, to a partying woman, then to a religious fundamentalist; and Truvy's relationships with the men in her family. Although the main storyline involves Shelby, her mother, and Shelby's battle with her medical condition, the underlying group-friendship among all six women is prominent throughout the drama.Stage Play
The stage play, written by Robert Harling, is still popular today, as attested by its production in many theatres across the United States. It takes place completely in Truvy's beauty salon (which is part of her house); only the six female characters appear on stage, during their visits to Truvy's salon, with no other voices except that of a DJ on the radio. (The other male characters exist only through references in the dialogue.) The original stage production took place at the WPA Theatre on 28 March 1987, directed by Pamela Berlin, and featuring Margo Martindale as Truvy, Constance Shulman as Annelle, Kate Wilkinson as Clairee, Mary Fogarty as Ouiser, Blanche Baker as Shelby, and Rosemary Prinz as M'Lynn. This production moved to the Lucille Lortel Theatre on 19 June 1987, with Betsy Aidem taking over the role of Shelby.A new version of the play was produced in the Spring of 2004 with the play making its Broadway debut. Previews of the new production began March 15, 2004 and officially opened on April 4. The cast included Delta Burke as Truvy, Christine Ebersole as M'Lynn, Rebecca Gayheart as Shelby, Marsha Mason as Ouiser, Lily Rabe as Annelle and Frances Sternhagen as Clairee. At the close of its run, the staging had played 23 previews and 136 regular performances. A touring production of Steel Magnolias is expected for the 2007-08 season. Many regional theaters also perform the play each year.
Film
The film, originally released by Tri-Star Pictures, was released in the United States on November 15 1989, earned excellent critical reviews, and would go on to gross more than US$83.7 million there. Robert Harling adapted his screenplay (his first) from the initial stage version. The film starred Dolly Parton (Truvy Jones), Olympia Dukakis (Clairee Belcher), Shirley MacLaine (Ouiser Boudreaux), Sally Field (M'Lynn Eatenton), Julia Roberts (Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie) and Daryl Hannah (Annelle Dupuy-Desoto). Julia Roberts received her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The location for the filming was Natchitoches, Louisiana.The casting and sets of the film go far beyond the modest means of the original play to include male characters, ensembles, and outdoor scenes. The sequence of the action as well was more tightly linked with major holidays in the film than in the play. Much dialogue was added, and several lines in the play were cut or assigned to other characters than originally intended. In addition, Truvy is given only one son instead of two.
Among the men added to the cast for the movie were Tom Skerrit as Drum Eatenton (M'Lynn's husband), Dylan McDermott as Jackson Latcherie (Shelby's husband) and Sam Shepard as Spud Jones (Truvy's husband).
The film was Julia Roberts' last credit before her rise to superstardom with Pretty Woman.
Trivia
- A part of popular culture was created by a scene at the wedding reception, where the groom's cake appeared as a recipe of red velvet cake made in the shape of an armadillo with gray icing. This was not shown in the original stage play.
Bibliography
- Harling, Robert. Steel Magnolias. New York, NY: Dramatists Play Service, Inc. 1988.
External links
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.