Steel Magnolias

Name: Steel Magnolias
Start: 2014-06-12
End: 2014-06-14
Location: Faringdon Junior School, 26 Gloucester Street, Faringdon SN7 7HY

A comedy drama by Robert Harling
Thursday 12 June 2014 - Saturday 14 June 2014
Faringdon Junior School, 26 Gloucester Street, Faringdon SN7 7HY
Directed by Debbie Lock
Producer: Jayne Hoyland

Performances start 7:30 pm. Doors open 30 minutes earlier.
Tickets: Adult £8. Child (under 16) £6. No concessions.
Tickets were available from our Online Box Office and The Nut Tree, 2 Cornmarket, Faringdon.

Steel Magnolias is a comedy–drama about the bond among a group of Southern women in northwest Louisiana. It is written by Robert Harling, based on his experience with the death of his sister. The title suggests the “female characters are as delicate as magnolias but as tough as steel”. The magnolia specifically references a magnolia tree they are arguing about at the beginning.

The action centres on Truvy’s beauty parlour and the women who regularly gather there. The story begins on the morning of Shelby’s wedding to Jackson and covers events over the next three years, including Shelby’s decision to have a child despite having Type 1 diabetes and the complications that result from the decision. There is also a glimpse of the unlikely friendship between Clairee and Ouiser; Annelle’s transformation from a shy, anxious newcomer in town to a good-time girl and then to a revival-tent Christian; and Truvy’s relationships with the men in her family. Although the main storyline involves Shelby, her mother M’Lynn, and Shelby’s medical battles, the underlying group-friendship among all six women is prominent throughout the drama.

In the world of Truvy’s local-home-grown beauty salon, six very different women come together to share their secrets, fears and love for one another while engaging the audience in hysterical and neighbourly gossip. From weddings to divorces, babies to funerals, new beginnings to happy endings, they share each moment in their lives with grace, determination, and perfectly coiffed hair. When tragedy strikes, it is in the familiar comfort of Truvy’s salon where they seek the solace and support that carries them through.