Maggie Cramer and Jane Froiland Photo by Alex Clark

Steel Magnolias offers a portrait of a close-knit quartet of women, drawn together not by the binds of family but by an appreciation for each other's uniqueness in a small-town world where uniformity is the coin of the realm. They are the kind of friends that can–and do–say anything to one another, no matter how harsh, without any love lost. They are gifts one cannot ask for nor plot to obtain, but only come to recognize in the course of living their authentic lives. The play also explores the depth of a mother's love: the love a mother holds for a child she has raised into adulthood and the love a mother holds for the child she has only dreamed of bringing to life.

Of course, Steel Magnolias is a well-known property, beginning as an Off-Broadway hit in 1987 and, a rarity for an Off-Broadway show, a national tour that followed, a Broadway debut in 2005, and a made-for TV version featuring an all-Black cast, first aired on Lifetime in 2012. Most of all, though, Steel Magnolias is known for the 1989 hit film version with an all-star cast composed of Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton, Olympia Dukakis, and Darryl Hannah. For those who know it only by the movie, the male characters–played by Tom Skerritt, Sam Shepard and Dylan McDermott–are only talked about, not seen, in the stage version.

The play opens in 1984 and spans a few years beyond that. Four late middle-aged, life-long friends have all lived their lives in fictional Chinquapin, a teeny town (just big enough to support two churches) in northwestern Louisiana, where the nearest big city is not cosmopolitan New Orleans, but Shreveport. By name, they are fashion-conscious Clairee, still grieving the recent death of her husband, who had been Chinquapin's mayor; Ouiser, a feisty eccentric with razor sharp wit who has become wealthy by surviving two husbands; M'Lynn, a proper lady who volunteers at the community counselling center; and Truvy, operator of the beauty salon in which the entire play is set, who feels burdened by a couch-potato husband and therefore craves anything with a hint of romance to it.

Two younger women are attached to this cluster: Shelby, M'Lynn's daughter, on whose wedding day the play begins, and Annelle, brand new in town (a rarity) and hired by Truvy to work in the salon. Annelle, who is a bundle of nerves, poses a riddle the naturally inquisitive women are eager to solve: she claims to be married, but is living alone in a somewhat disreputable boardinghouse. Shelby is an optimistic ray of sunshine, clearly loved by all the women. She is deeply in love with her husband-to-be, though it means moving to Lafayette for his position in a law practice. She is also a Type-1 diabetic, but her condition is well under control.

Steel Magnolias plays out over four scenes, two per act. In each scene the banter among the four older women–whether they are revealing a confidence, recalling some old occurrence, playfully teasing one another, or challenging one's course of action–is brimming with well-crafted laugh lines, like (I will reveal just one example) Truvy's comment about meeting her desultory son's girlfriend: "The nicest thing I can say about her is that her tattoos are spelled correctly." Oh, and then there is the bit about the armadillo-shaped groom's cake and a hilarious report on how a gay nephew comes out to his parents. Really, there are more laughs in this play than any I can recall for a very long time.

Meanwhile, the serious narrative line focusing on the relationship between M'Lynn and Shelby becomes more deeply etched, up until the fourth scene, when the friendship among the four older women proves its mettle and it becomes clear that, though constructed of jibes and jests, their friendships are as serious at heart as the bonds between mother and daughter. There is also a tertiary plot that follows Annelle's opening up, exploring her options–let's just call it that–and establishing her standing as an independent woman. Really, quite a lot is going on in this cozy little play.

In a play with rich characters such as these, casting is the key. Director Austene Van, who is Yellow Tree's artistic director, has stuck gold with the six actors assembled for this production. Not only does each deliver a wonderful performance, but the rapport among them–ever-present among all but Annelle, the new girl, and in her case, steadily emerging–conveys the sense these are not actors delivering lines, but actual friends who share a long history.

As M'Lynn, Jane Froiland ably conveys both the primness she carries with confidence and the steel grip she exercises–and must learn to release–as the mother of a headstrong young woman. Tara Borman as that young woman, Shelby, convincingly expresses enthusiasm and courage as someone ready to live to the fullest possible extent, as well as a kindness that makes the affection all the woman feel for her totally understandable. Tolu Ekisola is winning as the effusively warm Truvy, who bears the pangs of disappointment in her life by basking in the circle of friendship around her. Ekisola shows her range here after tackling a markedly different role as Mac in last spring's Once Upon a Tim ... Josephine Baker.

When Laura Esping barges into Truvy's salon as Ouiser, we immediately sense that the character is quite worked up, then come to realize that Esping has nailed Ouiser's temperament as being "quite worked up" at all times. Nora Targonski-O'Brien gives a rich performance as Clairee, persuasive in expressing the lingering grief of losing her husband while still relishing her place in a town that looks to her to set standards of style and gracious living, with a charming balance between wit and warmth. As Annelle, Maggie Cramer may be a shade too much in the early scene, so nervous and clumsy that she veers toward caricature, but we do see the growth in her character through the course of the play until, finally, she is able to deliver her own dry quip quite nicely.

Sarah Brandner has designed a lovely set that, in the intimate Yellow Tree space, allows the audience to feel like we are sitting on chairs waiting our own turn to have Truvy or Annelle run their scissors and comb through our hair. The costumes by Jamakah Webb are perfectly matched to each character's personality, with the eccentricity of Ouiser's outfits particularly notable. Also first rate are Alex Clark's lighting, Queen Drea's sound design, and Brandt Robert's properties design–if I were told she raided a beauty supply shop in 1985 and put her haul in storage awaiting this production, I would believe it.

Early in Steel Magnolias a disagreement over the ownership of a magnolia tree is mentioned, with testimony given to the loveliness and uplift offered by the magnolia. The women in this play convey that loveliness–even Ouiser, though she tries desperately to hide it–along with the steel spine that gives them the strength needed to endure the hardships life dishes out. In the spirit of the upcoming season, Steel Magnolias delivers a reminder that love is not all frail loveliness nor all steely resolve, but a miraculous melding of the two. It is what brings light to our lives and enables us to weather life's disappointments and losses. Let the holiday season begin!

Steel Magnolias runs through December 22, 2024, at Yellow Tree Theatre, 320 5th Ave SE, Osseo MN. For information and tickets, please call 763-493-8733 or visit YellowTreeTheatre.com.

Playwright: Robert Harling; Director: Austene Van; Set Design: Sarah Brandner; Costume Designer: Jamakah Webb; Sound Designer: Queen Drea; Lighting Designer: Alex Clark; Props Designer: Brandt Roberts; Technical Trevor Zapiecki; Production Stage Manager: Paul Coate; Assistant Production Stage Manager: Valencia Proctor; Production Manager: Brandon Raghu.

Cast: Tara Borman (Shelby), Maggie Cramer (Annelle), Tolu Ekisola (Truvy), Laura Esping (Ouiser), Jane Froiland (M'Lynn), Nora Targonski-O'Brien (Clairee).