The inviting title, with an all-female cast, is directed by Marya Sea Kaminski
By SHARON EBERSON
Which came first, the movie or the play?
In the case of Steel Magnolias, if you said “play,” give yourself a hand.
It’s the movie, or rather movies, most of us can recall. The play had a successful off-Broadway run, starting in 1987, followed by movies – each with a galaxy of female stars – in 1989 and 2012.
(Images: Michael Henninger for Pittsburgh Public Theater)
The title, according to playwright Robert Harling, is meant to suggest that the “female characters are as delicate as magnolias. but as tough as steel.”
Set in a Louisiana town, the play comes to the Steel City when Pittsburgh Public Theater’s production opens in previews on Tuesday, March 22.
By coincidence – or kismet? – two finely sculpted bronze trees, titled Magnolias for Pittsburgh, reside as public artwork, just a stone’s along Penn Avenue from the O’Reilly Theater. When the public enters the world of Steel Magnolias, they will find a hair salon that is the community hub of six women, inspired, Harling has said, by the dynamic between his mother and her friends.
Unlike the movies, men are present only by way of conversation and influence, and the salon is the sole set.
The idea of including Steel Magnolias in the 2022-23 season first came up at a staff meeting, said the Public’s artistic director and the director of the play, Marya Sea Kaminski.
“We were kind of joking that all we want is comedies,” Kaminski said.”Like everyone else, we want to laugh, we want joy. We want an influx of that with our neighbors. And the thing about Steel Magnolias is, especially after a time when we were so far apart, I have this appetite for comedy.”
She added, “There’s like a moment of healing happening right now, as we come back together, as we feel how safe we are as we sit next to one another. It felt like a good fit for that.”
The play isn’t all laughs – it likely will leave many theater-goers teary-eyed as well. It also offers richly drawn characters for a gamut of women.
“It’s a title that’s very dear to my heart, and we have the performers to do it,” Kaminski said. “You know, the film is populated, but here, you sort of get the sense of this entire small town in Louisiana. It’s not only the men who are not present in this space. It is like the whole neighborhood. [The salon] is the sacred space of six women..
To play these six, the Public has assembled a formidable cast of mostly familiar faces to Pittsburgh audiences, including Helena Ruoti as Ouiser, Elizabeth Elias Huffman as Clairee, Robyne Parrish as Truvy and Saige Smith as Annelle.
Kyra Kennedy, who plays Shelby (Julia Roberts in the movie), recently originated the role of Monica Lewinsky in the premiere play When Monica Met Hillary, and has appeared in Mystic Pizza the Musical. New York-based actress Monica Wyche plays M’Lynn.
Huffman, recently named artistic director of PICT Classic Theatre, echoed Kaminski by calling the experience of preparing the play “pure joy.”
“We haven’t started yet, and I’m already missing the women who will be going back to New York when we’re done,” she said.
“Before we started, I think most folks were new to one another, except for, of course, Helena and Saige, who were paired last year in ‘Murder on the Orient Express,” noted Kaminski. “I have been wanting to work with Robyne for very, very long time. We did a Zoom together over the pandemic, but it’s been great to have her in the room, and great to welcome Eliza back. Of course, she’s having a real moment …”
She paused. The bonding of cast and crew has been “incredibly sweet,” the director said. She considers the best way to say that this experience is the oppostie of whatever Real Housewives show you may have been watching.
“From day one, these women have been so generous,” Kaminsi said. “You know, we have several email threads and they call themselves ‘Magnolias.’ ‘Dear Magnolias,’” she says with a laugh. “It’s been very sweet.”
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The “Magnolias” of the play are compassionate and sweet, but also smart, and quick with a tart line at just the right moment.
Harling is particularly adept at one-liners that reveal each of the characters’ personalities. For instance, it’s Huffman’s character, Clairee (Olympia Dukakis in the movie), is a wealthy widow and well-known busybody. You can tell it’s Claireee simply by hearing her say, “If you can’t say anything nice about anybody, come sit by me.”
Salon owner Truvy (the role played by Dolly Parton) offers pearls of wisdom, such as, “I don’t trust anybody that does their own hair. I don’t think it’s normal.”
Opening Doors to the Public
Offering well-known titles such as Steel Magnolias – before that, A Christmas Story and the Shakespeare adaptation A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Harlem – are just one aspect of Kaminski’s overriding goal: having the public feel welcome at the Public.
To that end, the company has instituted Theater for All, an initiative inspired by the Bricolage Productions model, to provide free tickets for each show of the season. “Free for All” promo codes are periodically posted on the Public’s website and Facebook page, used to claim the available free tickets. (Click here for details.)
All free tickets to Steel Magnolias have already been claimed.
Kaminski’s sixth year since arriving at the helm comes during a time of change for many Pittsburgh arts groups, including the Public. Longtime managing director Lou Castelli, who Kaminski credits with being her guide during those early days in Pittsburgh, has left PPT – he’s now director of marketing for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Shaunda McDill, formerly of the Heinz Endowments and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, joined PPT in February.
With two shows still to go this season and directing the current play, Kaminski is busier than ever.
On the day of this interview, she had just finished rehearsal, on a day that started in New York.
Ticket sales, particularly post-pandemic, are ever on the minds of theater leaders.
“We’ve had a good run this year, which is, you know, we took a big risk in coming back, like everybody did,” Kaminski said. “A Christmas Story was really popular and created the event that we hoped it would. And then ‘Midsummer’ was sort of a slow burn, but the word of mouth was great, and it ended great. And Steel Magnolias is doing well, too.”
Asked about how it feels to be among the longest-running arts leaders in the Pittsburgh Cultural District, Kaminski was hesitant. Then she found her way by making it about the people she hopes to see at the O’Reilly, evoking both Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and the play at hand.
“I always feel a little presumptuous talking about this, because I still feel quite new to Pittsburgh,” she said. “But I know in my neighborhood, I have amazing neighbors. We take care of each other. It’s like no place else that I’ve lived. And this is a story about neighbors. It’s about people who live next door to each other, and how they take care of each other. And that really resonates for everyone.”
Pittsburgh Public Theater’s “Steel Magnolias” is at the O’Reilly Theater, Downtown, through April 9. Tickets and information: https://ppt.org/production/78800/steel-magnolias.On Sunday, March 26, the Public offers a “Working Women’s Salon” before the 7:00 p.m. performance. Use the promo code PPTFAB and get your tickets for $42.50 each, plus a free drink voucher with each ticket, at www.ppt.org. or by calling 412-3161600.
Categories: Feature Stories, Preview, Show Previews
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