Steel Magnolias to Close on Broadway on July 31
Set in a small-town beauty parlor in Louisiana, Steel Magnolias follows the lives of the women who often meet there. This production stars Delta Burke as Truvy, Christine Ebersole as M'Lynn, Rebecca Gayheart as Shelby, Marsha Mason as Ouiser, Lily Rabe as Annelle and Frances Sternhagen as Clairee.
Steel Magnolias>, directed by Jason Moore, opened on April 4 to mixed reviews. In his Broadway.com Review of the play, William Stevenson wrote: "Fortunately, despite the poignant moments, director Jason Moore Avenue Q keeps the tone light most of the time. And his ace cast follows suit. As M'Lynn, Ebersole is magnificent... Sternhagen, who was so charming in the Roundabout's revival of The Foreigner earlier this season, is delicious as Clairee. The actress delivers her biting lines--including the famous 'If you don't have anything nice to say about anyone, come sit by me'--with aplomb. Delta Burke also gets her share of laughs as the lovable Truvy. Considering her years on the sitcom Designing Women, she is more low-key than one might expect and much subtler than Dolly Parton was in the movie. This may reflect the direction of Moore, who doesn't let the comedy get too broad. As for Mason, she isn't quite right for Ouiser. Mason looks too put-together and made up; she should be dowdier, not to mention wackier. Rabe is quietly believable as the born-again Annelle, and Gayheart is always appealing as the vivacious but sickly Shelby."