Boone Dog Productions presents playwright Robert Harling’s warm and witty Steel Magnolias from February 14–March 8, 2020, at The Nest (1398 Cartwright St). Featuring an all-female collective of Vancouver-based performers, this beloved story of camaraderie and fierce loyalty epitomizes Southern charm and unwavering strength in the face of triumphs and tragedies. Based on true events, and widely known for the hit film adaptation starring Julia Roberts, the timeless drama follows a young woman as she grapples with a life-altering medical diagnosis.
Based on the life of Harling’s younger sister, Susan, who passed away due to complications from type 1 diabetes, Steel Magnolias was originally written as a short story before being adapted into a highly acclaimed off-Broadway play in 1987. Two years later, the work was made into a Hollywood film, starring cinematic heavyweights Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Darryl Hannah, Shirley MacLaine, and Olympia Dukakis. A box office and critical success, the film garnered Roberts both a Golden Globe win and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, as well as a Golden Globe nomination for Field in the Best Actress category, among other accolades.
The play opens on Shelby’s wedding day in small-town Louisiana, in the big-haired, “blush and bashful”-hued era of the 1980s. Gathered in Truvy’s in-home beauty salon, we are quickly introduced to the quick-witted, dynamic cast of characters, including Shelby’s practical and protective mother, M’Lynn; the cantankerous Ouiser; observant former first lady Clairee; and the demure newcomer with a curious past, Annelle. A complex study of the power of female friendship, the salon-centred tale follows the six Southern belles through joys and struggles over the next three years.
As Shelby moves from newlywed to expectant mother, despite the risks associated with her type 1 diabetes, the women rally around M’Lynn, whose dread over her daughter’s health colours Shelby’s joyful announcement. And it is this deep bond that fortifies the women through their greatest hardship, when Shelby soon succumbs to her illness not long after fulfilling her dream of becoming a mother. Together, the group discovers an innate sense of steely resilience to move forward in the face of life’s delicate fragility.
Boone Dog Productions presents Steel Magnolias
Date: February 14–March 8, 2020
Ticket Prices: From $28 plus applicable fees
Address: The Nest
1398 Cartwright St, 3rd Floor
Vancouver, BC V6H 3R8
Box Office: www.steelmagnoliasvancouver.com
Website: steelmagnoliasvancouver.com