Steel Magnolias at Encore Theatre and Gallery

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Encore Theatre and Gallery opens its fourth season with a limited run of "Steel Magnolias," with a new take on the popular theatre classic. 

The play is delivered by an all-Black cast in roles that were originally performed with an all-white ensemble . A unique twist on a widely produced classic. 

The theatre considers the production "a fresh new take on a timeless classic" and features veteran actors and new faces. The performers include Halo Wheeler (Shelby), Donna Thornton (Clairee), Shronda Major (Truvy), Chalethia Williams (Ouiser), Jessica Briana Kelly (Annelle), and Erika Kellom (M'Lynn).

Marc Raby, the producing artistic director of Encore Theatre and Gallery and the show's director, sees this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the cast to give voice to a universal story that some may regard as a timeless theatre staple. "It’s an honor to seize opportunities to present nontraditional and colorblind casting." 

The play, which was written by Robert Harling as an off-Broadway production, takes place in a beauty shop. Often billed as a comedy-drama , Steel Magnolias tells the story about the bond between a group of Southern women who are described as delicate as a magnolia but as tough as steel.

Although Encore Theatre and Gallery is not the first American theater to stage "Steel Magnolias" with an all-Black cast, they are thrilled to stage this interpretation in the Magic City. 

The film adaptation, starring Julia Roberts (Shelby), Sally Field (M'Lynn), Shirley MacLaine (Ouiser), Olympia Dukakis (Clairee), Dolly Parton (Truvy), and Daryl Hannah, was released in 1989. 

In 2005, the Broadway production ran from April to July following the trend of its traditional casting.

Then, in 2012, a Lifetime TV production filmed an all-Black version in Atlanta, with Condola Rashad (Shelby), Queen Latifah (M'Lynn), Alfre Woodard (Ouiser), Phylicia Rashad (Clairee), Jill Scott (Truvy), and Adepero Oduye in the lead roles (Annelle). 

Truvy's beauty shop is where everyone in a small southern town gets their hair done. Six women get together once a week to gossip and support one another through good and bad times. But their friendship is put to the test when the ladies face a life-changing event. Steel Magnolias is a hilarious story of love, loss, and enduring sisterhood that is infused with heart and humor.

"There's no need to draw parallels to previous versions of the show," Raby says, "you're going to enjoy it." "Come see the show with a fresh perspective; you'll laugh, cry, and fall in love with this incredibly talented ensemble." 

The show will be performed at the Encore Theatre and Gallery in Roebuck Springs, which is located at 213 Gadsden Hwy Suite 108 Birmingham, AL 35235. 

Tickets are available at www.encorebham.org or,  if available, at the door. 

Ages 13 and up are recommended. 

The performance lasts about 2 hours and 15 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission.

Authors

• Robert Harling