Theatre NorthWest is inviting local audiences to its new production of Steel Magnolias.
The play revolves around the charming beauty salon owned by Truvy Jones and the close-knit group of women who frequent it, all set against the backdrop of a small Louisiana town.
If that sounds familiar that may be because the original play by Robert Harling was adapted into a movie which helped launch Julia Roberts's career.
Steel Magnolias director Melissa Glover said she's is excited to bring this classic to Prince George.
“It's been a long time since we've had an all-female cast on stage,” said Glover. “This show just really touches on how strong women can be at their most vulnerable like when you're in a beauty salon. I think we really wanted to show that on stage, that these women are dealing with really difficult things, and there's so much humour in it. Robert Harling, the playwright, has done such a great job at creating really sincere and genuine characters that are well-rounded. We really wanted to share that with the audiences of Prince George.”
This is the second show Glover has directed at Theatre Northwest, and she said this one has been her biggest challenge yet. However, she has seen the actors collaborate and work very hard to bring the characters to life.
She also told The Citizen that staging the play presents some challenges.
“I think the hardest thing is that one of the characters gets their hair cut on stage,” said Glover. ”I'm freaking out here going, oh my goodness, how do we do this? … So figuring out how to solve that sort of problem and you can't cut that part. You have to use wigs, styling wigs, styling people's wedding hairstyle in a span of like three to four pages of dialogue when it typically can take up to three to four hours to get an updo for a wedding. That sort of stuff has been a challenge that we've adapted to fairly well. Everybody just jumped in and like, hey, we're going to do this.”
With showtime coming up everyone from the actors to managers and even costume designers is working hard to get the production ready for PG audiences.
“I am just looking forward to seeing the audience's reaction,” Glover said during a break from a recent dress rehearsal. “As a director, once we get the audience in, I just watch them, not the actors on stage. I just love to see our audiences react with laughter … It was a movie as well. So I think a lot of our audience members will be familiar with the movie. The difference in the play is that it takes place all in the beauty salon. So a lot of the biggest emotional things that happen in the show happen off stage. So I'm just looking forward to that and letting these incredible actors have fun with the show once rehearsal is done and the show is up and running.
The play is set to run from Thursday, Feb. 13 to Wednesday, March 5. Showtimes are 7 p.m. for the late show and 2 p.m. for the matinée.
Tickets can be found online at www.theatrenorthwest.com, at the Theatre NorthWest box office, which is open Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 36-556 North Nechako Rd. or by calling 250-563-6969 ext. 306.
