Rebecca Gayheart to Star as Shelby in Steel Magnolias

Rebecca Gayheart will play the pivotal role of Shelby in the upcoming revival of Robert Harling's Steel Magnolias, a spokesperson for the actress confirmed to Broadway.com. She joins previously announced stars Christine Ebersole and Delta Burke in the production, which is set to begin performances at the Lyceum Theatre on March 15.

After a brief stint on the daytime soap opera Loving, Gayheart gained attention in the mid-1990s for playing the ill-fated bride of Luke Perry's Dylan Walsh on Beverly Hills 90210 and appearing as the face of Noxzema in several advertisements. Her other television credits include starring roles on the series Wasteland, Earth 2 and Dead Like Me. Her film credits include Somebody is Waiting, Scream 2, Nothing to Lose, Urban Legend, Jawbreaker, Urban Legends: Final Cut and Harvard Man. Although she has limited stage experience, Gayheart won a Garland Award presented by Back Stage West for her performance as Sunny Freitag in a Los Angeles mounting of The Last Night of Ballyhoo opposite Rhea Perlman.

Steel Magnolias is set it a small-town beauty parlor in Louisiana and follows the lives of several women who often meet there. The story pays particular attention to M'Lynn Ebersole and her daughter Shelby Gayheart. Both a comedy and a tearjerker, there are eccentric characters galore in the play.

The play, directed by Avenue Q helmer Jason Moore, is scheduled to officially open on Broadway on April 4.

A production spokesperson could not confirm the casting of Gayheart.