Photos: STEEL MAGNOLIAS In Rehearsal at Bell Theater

Take a peek inside the rehearsal room of Steel Magnolias, opening next Friday, July 25, at Bell Theater in Bell Works. Check out photos of the cast below!

Robert Harling's beloved heartwarming comedy gets a cast of Broadway icons, with a host of Broadway credits, Tony Nominations, and Drama Desk Nominations between them. This timeless story of friendship, love, laughter, and family runs though August 10.

Salon owner Truvy Jones will be played by Amy Spanger, whose Broadway credits include Cats, Kiss Me Kate, the Wedding Singer (Drama Desk nomination), Rock of Ages, Elf: the Musical, Chicago, Sunset Boulevard, Urinetown, and Matilda. Charlotte d'Amboise is M’Lynn Eatenton. In addition to her Tony Award-nominated performances in the 2006 revival of A Chorus Line and Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, d’Amboise’s Broadway credits include Cats, Chicago, Company, Contact, Carrie, and Song and Dance. Tony Award nominee Nancy Opel is Clairee Belcher, the mayor’s widow. Opel was nominated for Urinetown: The Musical and has appeared in over two dozen Broadway shows, including Honeymoon in Vegas (Drama Desk nomination), Wicked, Beautiful, Memphis, Into the Woods, and Sunday in the Park with George. Kathy Fitzgerald is the curmudgeonly Ouiser Boudreaux. Fitzgerald’s Broadway credits include Swinging on a Star (Drama Desk nomination), The Producers, Wicked, 9 to 5, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Oliver! 

Steel Magnolias is directed by Nate Patten. Known as a Broadway music director, Patten was last seen in Monmouth County as the Music Director for the smash hit production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at the Axelrod Performing Arts Center. Patten directed and co-wrote with Brooke Shields her solo show, Previously Owned by Brooke Shields, and directed Rabbit Hole at the Grunin Center in Toms River last year. As a writer or music director, he has worked with Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Jackie Hoffman, Christian Borle, Jeremy Jordan, and Kristin Chenoweth. 

Bell Theater is located at 101 Crawfords Corner Road, Holmdel, NJ, inside the iconic Bell Works complex on the lower level, with plenty of free parking. Tickets to Steel Magnolias are $38 to $58 and can be purchased by calling 732-531-9106, ext. 14 or by visiting www.belltheater.org. Steel Magnolias is the second production in the Bell Theater 2025 season, which also includes Hedwig and the Angry Inch starring Remember Jones (June 13 through 29) and A Night with Janis Joplin (October 3 through 19), starring Tony nominee Mary Bridget Davies, who originated the role on Broadway. Season subscribers save 30% on all three productions, and subscriptions can be purchased through June 29.