Riverfront Playhouse is proud to present Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling. The show opens March 11th and runs weekends through March 26th.

Steel Magnolias was first presented 30 years ago but rings just as true to life now as it did then. This beautiful comedic drama was written about the playwright’s experience of his sister’s death. It is set in the American South and features strong and unique female characters who are equal parts soft as magnolia blossoms and tough as the good southern steel referenced in the title. The play spans 3 years in the lives of these remarkable women as they cope with life’s highest joys and most crippling tragedies while leaning on their love for each other and their humor to triumph over whatever is thrown at them. You’ll come away from this show with tears in your eyes from both laughter and sorrow. As Truvy says, “laughter through tears is my favorite emotion”. Come spend some time in Truvy’s beauty shop and enjoy this slice of American life that celebrates the friendships that help us through it all.

At the helm of Riverfront Playhouse’s current production is the dynamic and capable directing duo of Erin Haney Stuart and Marla Frost O’Brien. Both Erin Haney Stuart and Marla Frost O’Brien have extensive theatrical experience and were involved with Riverfront Playhouse at its inception. Riverfront Playhouse is so excited to have them back at the theater.

“Steel Magnolias is the only play I would’ve come out of retirement to direct. And the more time I spend with it, the more I appreciate the honesty in Robert Harling’s tribute to his sister and to the strength of women. The simple language is poignant and it exposes loss in a way that makes my throat tighten and eyes sting. I have no emotional distance from the stories of these women; every rehearsal reminds me of friends I’ve loved and friends I’ve lost.” – Erin Haney Stuart, Co-director of Steel Magnolias at Riverfront Playhouse