Steel Magnolias Cast & Characters
ByApril 16, 2009 – Steel Magnolias Cast and Director reflect on the show:
At a recent rehearsal, the cast of Steel Magnolias sat and discussed the play and the characters. Robert Harling’s witty and touching play about six women who congregate in the Truvy’s Beauty Shop. Each one is unique and each of them emphasizes a different aspect of the personality and character of women everywhere. That is what Tracey Gibson, who both directs and plays Annelle, wants the audience to see. “These are real women, not cartoons or caricatures” says Gibson. Janet Vardaman, who plays Clairee, says, “Men will love this show as well. It’s funny, and a little sad”. Another cast member describes Clairee as the epitome of true Southern grace and sophistication. Each woman’s individuality fits together, like a jigsaw puzzle, into a portrait that seems to touch every person who’s ever seen the play. Many people know the movie, but seeing a live performance, gives it an intimacy that far surpasses the silver screen. The play is performed entirely within the walls of Truvy’s Beauty Shop.
Truvy, played by Lynn Mulkey, is, in many ways, the “typical” small town hairdresser. She knows and wants to know everything that is going on around her and is full of laughter and talk. But Mulkey says, “Truvy is insecure underneath. She’s tied to the shop and is working so hard to keep it afloat that she can’t get out and live.” Into this mix comes Annelle. She enters the group as an outsider, and as she changes and grows, she develops newfound relationships, and new love, and a strong religious faith. The cast says that Truvy sees in Annelle all the possibilities she won’t ever have. Toward the end of the play, Truvy and Annelle have grown so close, without realizing it, that one doesn’t have to finish a sentence for the other to know what she means. M’Lynn (Cindy White) and Shelby (Leah Fowler Chapman) play, respectively, mother and daughter. The story of two years in their lives is the pivotal device around which the actions and feelings of the six women revolve. Among those reacting to all that happens is the spiky character of Ouiser Boudreaux. Thelma Cagle, who plays Ouiser spoke of her “barbed wire defenses” and her expectations of herself and others, which Cagle says “no one lives up to”. Everything about Ouiser, from her use of color to her sharp tongue and sacrilegious responses are all for effect – her armor, in effect.
All these complex and wonderful characters are brought to you, up close and personal, as the Tater Patch Players present Steel Magnolias at the Marble Valley Friends Tate Gym this week and next. The show dates are April 17,18,19,23,24,25,26. The shows on the 19th and 26th are at 2PM. The other shows are at 8PM. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students. Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance at Chestatee Bank, Jasper Drugs and Hollywood FX Hair Studio.
April 8, 2009 – Leah and Cindy –- together again in Steel Magnolias
It’s only a week till showtime for Tater Patch Players second show of this season, Steel Magnolias. Last weekend, the Tate Gym was transformed into a theater and Truvy’s Beauty Shop was almost ready to open to the public. A strong cast anchors this stirring and funny play about six Southern women. But among this cast, two of the players have been together so often that it is worth special note. Cindy White and Leah Fowler Chapman play mother and daughter M’Lynn and Shelby in Robert Harling’s play of a group of neighbor’s laughter, love, biting wit and amazing solidarity.
Leah and Cindy have been together, either as actors together or with one of them directing a play the other is in for twelve previous Tater Patch productions – Oliver, Dark of the Moon, Spider’s Web, Play On, Crimes of the Heart, The Odd Couple, Annie, Mountain Christmas Carol, Curiouser & Curiouser, Arsenic & Old Lace, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown and Blithe Spirit. Now they are playing two deep and significant characters that are, in some respects, close to their own ages and experiences. Leah says, “this part is the closest I’ve ever been to the age of the character I’m playing. And it’s much easier to play a catty or mean person than someone as genuinely nice as Shelby”. Cindy’s character M’Lynn was described by a cast member as a woman with a “natural maternal blind faith” in her daughter. Cindy said “I love the interaction between them in the tender scenes”.
These two, along with Tracey Gibson as Annelle, Lynn Mulkey as Truvy, Thelma Cagle as Ouiser, and Janet Vardaman as Clairee, are almost ready to present to you the funny, tender, and altogether captivating look at life that is Steel Magnolias. Please join them at the Tate Gym April 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25 at 8:00 PM with a 2:00 PM matinee on April 19 and 26. Tickets are $12.00 adult and $10.00 student at the door or in advance. Advance tickets may be purchased at Jasper Drugs, Chestatee Bank, and Hollywood FX Hair Studio.
March 30, 2009 – Steel Magnolias — Strong cast, strong characters:
As rehearsals resume for the Tater Patch Players upcoming production of Steel Magnolias, I see that the actors are working extremely hard to make the show one of the troupe’s finest. I also see the work that is going on behind the scenes to make this show a success. This show is no different than any other Tater Patch Players show. It has a director, an assistant director and a producer. The cast is assisted by stagehands and the technicians working lights and sound. The set is constructed and the props are put in place. Everything is done for one reason and that is you, the audience.
In the past, I have refrained from using the words “I” or “me” in my articles. The truth is, it is not about me, it is about you. For several years now, I have worked with Tater Patch to entice you and invite you to come out, buy a ticket, and let yourself be lost in another world for a couple of hours. I am here to do that again.
I cannot say enough about Steel Magnolias. The show itself is about six strong Southern women who come together at Truvy’s Beauty Shop. In this setting they share the joys of life and its sorrows. Each and every character is important to the plot. From the richest woman in town, to an employee of the shop, all are special. The play spans three years in the life of the women that gather in the shop. It begins with Shelby’s wedding day. Shelby later decides to have a baby, even though she suffers from Type 1 diabetes and she suffers physically as a result.
Each and every woman in the cast of Steel Magnolias is as wonderful as the complex character she portrays. Each has at least one special quality that she brings to the stage. It is easy to see that these cast members truly are friends and that they care greatly for one another. Learning lines and blocking may have been a challenge for these women, but each one’s personality pours over into her character, transforming them into the women at Truvy’s Beauty Shop. What a treat for you, the audience, to have the opportunity to watch these fine women on stage. You will laugh and cry. You will feel a kinship to each of them. You may even know some of them personally. I do know them, and I personally recommend that you come to a show and get to know them, too. Steel Magnolias will be staged at the Marble Valley Friends Tate Gym. Shows are April 17, 18, 23, 24 & 25 at 8:00 pm and April 19 & 26 at 2:00. Tickets are $10.00 adult and $8.00 student. Avoid the lines at the door and purchase your advanced tickets at Jasper Drugs, Hollywood FX Hair Studio or Chestatee State Bank at Foothills.
New Rehearsal and Scenery Building Photos:
Click on a thumbnail photo to show more.
CAST
M’Lynn: Cindy White
Truvy: Lynn Mulkey
Annelle: Tracey Gibson
Ouiser: Thelma Cagle
Clairee: Janet Vardaman
Shelby: Leah Chapman
Directed by Tracey Gibson
Produced by Ross Galbreath
Janet Vardaman as Clairee: This founding member of Tater Patch Players still feels the lure of the stage. Thirty-two years of Tater Patch and Janet Vardaman’s stage presence is still one of the best in the troupe. In what she considers a great role, Vardaman is Clairee Belcher, the widow of the longtime Mayor, and a bit more lonely than she would like to admit. As the story unfolds, we find that Clairee has keen insight into life that is often missed by others. The entire audience will relate to Clairee, the somewhat posh, grand dame of the group of ladies that regularly gather at Truvy’s Beauty Shop. Socially, Clairee is the upper crust of their small town in Louisiana, which makes her friendship with others at Truvy’s seem a bit below her. Yet, her insight makes her seemingly the only one to understand Ouiser, the cynical one of the group. Vardaman has appeared on the Tater Patch stage as Daisy Mae in Li’l Abner , Anna in The King and I, and Sugar in Sugar. Her most recent appearance was Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons, in A Midsummer Nights Dream. “People will not only relate to the humor of the show but also how familiar the characters are” said Vardaman. “Especially since the play is about six strong women who live in a small southern town. We see each and every one of the characters in our everyday lives.”
Lynn Mulkey as Truvy: From the first lines of the play to the curtain call, Lynn Mulkey is Truvy, the outgoing owner of Truvy’s Beauty Parlor. Mulkey is fabulous in her first dramatic role ever, having been on stage only once before as the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz. Truvy is not only a business woman, she is a friend. The ladies who frequent the shop feel free to share their joys and sorrows in the atmosphere that she creates, therefore, our story line evolves in her shop. Truvy is the glue that holds the unlikely group of six friends together with patience, kindness and compassion. Mulkey slips into the role with ease. As a counselor with a division of Prevent Child Abuse Pickens, Mulkey has the experience to exhibit compassion. “The role was a challenge for me, but only when it came to memorizing so many lines” said Mulkey. “This show is going to be so wonderful that you will laugh and cry at the same time.” Lynn feels that the characters in the production speak volumes about southern women. Truvy is no exception. The six characters that make up the cast blend together to give insight into how strong these women are while still being tender and loving.
Thelma Cagle as Ouiser: Local musician and actress Thelma Cagle will “dye for her art” when it comes to her role in the upcoming production of Steel Magnolias. Cagle was recently seen at Hollywood FX Hair Studio in Jasper, having her hair dyed by show producer, Ross Galbreath, for her part as Ouiser Boudreaux in the play. Ouiser, a wealthy lady in her 60s, with a lot to say about a lot of things, brings comic relief to Truvy’s Beauty Parlor, with her wit and sarcasm. This is the second dramatic role for Cagle on a Tater Patch Players stage. You may remember her as Mrs. Julia Gibbs in Our Town. She was also the choral director for You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown and musician in several other shows. The talented Cagle is an assistant director with the Jasper Community Choir and a music teacher at Wildwood Christian Academy. Play director, Tracey Gibson, notes that “When Thelma walks on stage, the whole room lights up”. Cagle herself recalls that as she became more familiar with the character, she learned that she could relate strongly to her. “Ousier speaks her mind” said Cagle, “I like that about her”.
