The cast is set and rehearsals are underway for Delta Center Stage’s upcoming production, “Steel Magnolias.”
Set to perform May 9-12, production director Tim Bixler said the cast is working hard to bring back this familiar title to Jake and Freda Stein Hall in E.E. Bass Cultural Arts Center.
“We had a big turnout, as expected, for this very well-known and popular title,” Bixler said. “Our cast will have a good mix of seasoned veterans, along with a few newcomers, to feature roles in the six-person cast.”
Unlike the familiar movie version, the original stage play features an all-female cast, but the plot is still familiar for those who have seen the film.
All the action takes place in a single setting: Truvy Jones’ converted garage/beauty shop in the fictional Chiquapin Parish, Louisiana.
Featuring Truvy, the wise-cracking shop owner, is DCS veteran Jessica Prevost. She last appeared as Snow White in DCS’s “Disenchanted” and Velma in “Chicago.”
“I’m excited about doing this show because it has those quintessential Southern woman role … the characters to me embody being sweet but being strong,” Prevost said, noting Truvy is her favorite character. “To me, she is the glue that holds the friendship together as they come to her place of business. I like the supportive friendship in the show, to me that’s what friendship should be.”
Truvy’s newly hired, and quite shy, assistant, Annelle Dupuy-Desoto, will be played by Lara Gann, a DCS veteran. Active at DCS since the age of 12, Gann last seen on stage as Essie in “You Can’t Take It With You” and Millie in “Exit Laughing.”
“Steel Magnolias has been one of my favorite movies ever since I was a little girl so I feel incredibly honored, and excited, to be a part of this cast,” Gann said. “I’ve got the pleasure of portraying Annelle, the strange, new girl in town that makes quite a transformation throughout the show. It’s a blast!”
Described on the title page of the script as “The prettiest girl in town,” Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie will be played by Sara Wilkerson. Although this will be Wilkerson’s first featured role, she has assisted with choreography and been in several chorus roles for previous DCS shows like “Hairspray” and “Mamma Mia.”
As she faces her first time on stage as a leading character, Wilkerson said she feels “really excited” about this experience.
“I’m a little nervous but I feel a real connection to this character so I’m real excited to be able to play her,” she said.
Although the show is different from the movie in having a small cast of all women, Wilkerson said it is a show everyone can enjoy.
“I do think it’s a show for everybody. It’s very complex, especially going quickly from comedy to drama just in a matter of a few seconds,” Wilkerson said. “I think people are going to like it. All the characters are like real people so it feels like you’re watching real conversations happen, which I think is pretty special.”
Shelby’s mother, M’Lynn Eatonton, one of Chinquapin Parishes’ socially prominent career women, will be played by Megan Payne. Payne was last on stage as Nurse Preen in “The Man Who Came To Dinner.”
“I have loved the movie ‘Steel Magnolias’ since I was a little girl. I’ve never seen the play but am loving how the story unfolds. Practices are tight due to our short time between plays, but we are enjoying working hard together,” Payne said.
Also last seen in “The Man Who Came To Dinner” is Shannon Adams, who will play the parish’s ‘grande dame’, Clairee Belcher.
The scene-stealing role of Ouizer Boudreaux will be reprised by Mary Frances Maxey, who first played the same role in DCS’s original production of this title in 1990.
“When we did it before, you know Quizer was supposed to be in her 60s. In 1990, I was 40; I wasn’t really age-appropriate. The makeup I wore was lines trying to make wrinkles where there weren’t any. Now I’m actually age appropriate,” Maxey said with a laugh. “The biggest problem now is my brain was a whole lot sharper in 1990 than it is now. It’s a challenge to learn the lines. But the character is delightful. She’s a chromogen and I like being the chromogen.”
Online tickets are available now, and advance tickets will soon be for sale at the E.E. Bass Cultural Arts Center office, Midtown on Main Street, and Montage Marketplace.
For more information about the show or to buy tickets online, go to DCS’s website at deltastage.com or call Bixler at 662-820-5489.
