Review: Tesseract Theatre Company's STEEL MAGNOLIAS is a Lovely Ode to Community & Friendship

Deep friendship is at the center of Robert Harling’s tragi-comedy Steel Magnolias. Harling’s play, and the movie adaptation, are remembered for the melancholic part of the story, but it's not a tragedy. Steel Magnolias is a comedy about sisterhood and the relationship between three Louisiana women.  

M’Lynn, Clairee, and Ouiser are a testament to enduring relationships. They are each other’s ride or die homies. They are the emobidment of lifelong friends who listen to you, advise you, celebrate your most joyous occasions, and make you laugh, even in times of profound disabling grief. 

Director Kathryn Bentley directs Tesseract Theatre’s current production of Steel Magnolias choosing to focus on the communal bond between the three women at the center of Harling’s play. It’s the observable camaraderie and closeness that builds a visceral sense of belonging. 

Margery A. Handy (M’Lynn), Victoria Pines (Clairee), and Tammy O’Donnell (Ouiser) bring a strong connectedness to their characters. It gives Tesseract’s Steel Magnolias its heart. M’Lynn, Clairee, and Ouiser’s strong affinity for one another feels tangible in the hands of these talented actors.  

Margery A. Handy, last year’s St. Louis Theater Circle supporting actor winner for her role in The Inheritance, lays down another heartbreaking performance. She is one of the finest local actors working in St. Louis. Her performance as M’Lynn is both visually and verbally expressive. The physicality in her portrayal, and her skill conveying love, care, worry, consternation, anguish, and grief makes M’Lynn feel like the very real person the character is based on.  

Victoria Pines and Tammy O’Donnell portray the snobby well-to-do Clairee and cranky Ouiser with panache and flair. Their cantankerous relationship and feisty bickering add levity and laughs. 

Pines gives the widowed Clairee great elegance. She is subtly sarcastic but deeply caring. Pines is believable as the late 60’s wealthy southern belle in a role that is far beyond her years.  

O’Donnell’s Ouiser is blunt, crude, garish, and extremely funny. She bursts onto the set in an unapologetic fit. Her characterization is big, bold, and loud, but she softens when processing her dear friend's grief. O’Donnell’s Ouiser has a loud bark, no bite, and an empathic heart.  

It is the trio’s kindred spirit that makes this production of Steel Magnolias special. They convey an unfiltered connection. It is the spoken and unspoken truths that add realism and the sense of community that Bentely envisioned. 

Lynett Vallejo’s Shelby is an effervescent bundle of spirited optimism. She’s the daughter at the center of M’Lynn’s universe who is equally adored by her mother’s friends. Vallejo brings a lighthearted hopefulness to her role. She makes the upbeat Shelby immensely likeable and that amiability is critical to Harling’s narrative. Vallejo is delightful as the breezy Shelby.  

Joana Dominguez is beauty shop owner Truvy.  Her shop is a comforting, welcoming, and gossip filled space. Dominguez gives the genial Truvy a kind soul. Her performance is warm, but Truvy is less a part of the inner circle in this production of Steel Magnolias.  

The beauty shop assistant Annelle (Lily Self Miller) is played much differently than in other productions. Annelle is not the naive girl who becomes comically trampy before finding Jesus. It was likely a directorial and acting choice to make her less of a humoristic caricature. 

Miller is fine in the role, but she needs work on her line delivery, pacing, articulation, and diction. She speaks very quickly and is often hard to understand, especially when upstage.  

Steel Magnolias is an actor's piece. Margery A. Handy’s transformative performance is reason enough to spend two-and-a-half hours revisiting Robert Harling’s play. Her layered portrayal is deeply moving. She is an acting chameleon who becomes the characters she plays. Director Kathryn Bentley’s focus on community and friendship gives this well-known story a newfound sincere realism.  

Tesseract Theatre’s production of Steel Magnolias continues at The Marcelle through August 10, 2025. It was included in Broadway World’s top 5 summer picks for summer, and it does not disappoint. Click the link below to purchase tickets.