Wit and Southern charm on display in Macon Little Theatre’s ‘Steel Magnolias’
The ladies will be in rare form at Truvy’s beauty spot the next two weekends — and on Macon Little Theatre’s stage.
MLT’s production of “Steel Magnolias” runs Feb. 7-16, excluding Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
“It’s a flat-out-funny play with so many great moments,” said director Joseph Whidby. “It’s funny, poignant and has elements you’d expect — or might have seen — from a bunch of strong women spending their time together in a southern beauty shop.
“Everybody’s probably seen ‘Steele Magnolias,’ maybe even more than once as the play or first film adaptation or its recent remake. It’s funny and so, so engaging. But I think it’s a little more than that, especially seeing it live with others with all the lady’s banter and goings-on onstage. But it is thoroughly entertaining and we have a great cast.”
Whidby said “Steel Magnolias” is definitely “more” to him and that this isn’t his first visit to Truvy’s.
“I’ve had previous experience with it going back to 2010 or 2011 when I was a student at Georgia College in Milledgeville,” he said. “I was on the stage management team working with someone who was a real mentor to me, Iona Holden. I watched how she worked and handled the challenge of developing the play’s characters, not just one or two primary roles but six very strong female roles. With that many, it can be a challenge keeping everything going. Getting that insight and experience from Iona had a big impact on me as a developing theater artist. I’d always hoped I could come back to it.”
With such a large group of leading players, Whidby said he was glad to be casting it in Middle Georgia where he said there is a large, able, talented pool of actors. Still, keeping an eye on that many in one play makes for complications.
“I knew from the start I needed more than my own set of eyes to get it done so I’ve been so happy to have had Holly Forbes as assistant director,” he said. “She was indispensable and I leaned on her a lot. I’m so proud of how all the cast shines through.”
And Whidby said there’s yet more to the “more.”
“It’s a funny play,” he said, “but ‘Steele Magnolias’ never makes fun of its southern ladies and it delivers more than laughs. (It) is about family, whether actual or the one we build around ourselves. I think the play explores the importance of having family and friends in good times and bad who we know have our back. We need people who have our back and people whose back we have, even if we don’t always seem to get along or agree perfectly. That may be quite a timely message.”
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
What: “Steel Magnolias”
Where: Macon Little Theatre, 4220 Forsyth Road
When: 8 p.m. Feb. 7-8 & 13-15, Feb. 9 & 16 2:30 p.m.
Cost: $20 adults, $15 seniors, $10 students
Information: (478) 471-7529, www.maconlittletheatre.org
OUT AND ABOUT
Here’s a sampling of other events coming in the next few days. For more, check www.macon365.com.
▪ Caldonia – 6 p.m. Feb 7, First Friday Live Music at Capricorn, 540 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., (478) 257-5327, www.capricorn.mercer.edu, Music is free, museum visit $7
▪ First Friday Art Crawl – Various times beginning at 5 p.m. Feb. 7, various shows, openings, refreshments and music at downtown galleries including Gallery West, 567 Center for Renewal, Travis Jean Emporium and Macon Arts Alliance, www.the567center.org. Free
▪ Kelly Kristin Jones – 6 p.m. Feb. 7, photo-based art installations opening at McEachern Art Center, 332 2nd St., (478) 301-2959. Free
▪ Jimmy L. Mills Jr. Choral Heritage Festival – 6 p.m., Feb. 8, 10th annual multi-school choir at the Douglass Theatre, 355 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., www.douglasstheatre.org. Free
▪ Waves – 2, 5 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9, presented by the Macon Film Guild at the Douglass Theatre, 355 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., www.maconfilmguild.org. $5
▪ Storytellers: View from the Weeds – 6:30 p.m. Feb. 11, personal and professional stories on the challenge of business hosted by Storytellers at Grant’s Lounge, 576 Poplar St., (917) 412-4661. Free
Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com.
This story was originally published February 7, 2020 at 12:00 AM.