STEEL MAGNOLIAS Comes to Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park This Month

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park will bring Truvy's beauty salon to the Marx Theatre stage beginning March 19 with the production STEEL MAGNOLIAS. Based on Robert Harling's beloved off-Broadway hit, which inspired a blockbuster movie of the same name, the show features beloved characters, snappy dialogue and a timeless celebration of female friendship. STEEL MAGNOLIAS, presented by the Leading Ladies runs through April 17. Previews begin March 19, and opening night is March 24.

A tight-knit group of Louisiana women gather regularly to bond, dish and offer advice on everything from motherhood and marriage to tragedy and loss at Truvy's beauty salon, including beloved characters like the wise-cracking Truvy, her eager new assistant Annelle, curmudgeonly Ouiser, millionaire Miss Clairee, local social leader M'lynn and her sweet-natured daughter Shelby.

"The characters' quirks and idiosyncrasies are grounded in truth," adds Laura Gordon, who directs the Playhouse production. "Their relationships are honest. I think they continue to resonate with audiences because they're so recognizable. I think the play is a perfect mix of warmth, honesty and humor."

Gordan's all-female design production team stayed true to the original period in which STEEL MAGNOLIAS was set: the mid-1980s. Costume designer Holly Payne, herself raised in Arkansas, built on her experience growing up as a woman in the South to select authentic period costumes that are true to the time and place of STEEL MAGNOLIAS.

"I think the familiarity of this story is one of its strengths," Gordon adds. "I'm excited to share a story that embraces friendship through good times and bad, that celebrates kindness and the resilience of the human spirit, all while having a good laugh. As Truvy says, 'Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.'"

CAST: Kate Abbruzzese (Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie), Gina Daniels (Clairee Belcher), Annie Fitzpatrick (M'Lynn Eatenton), Naomi Jacobson (Ouiser Boudreaux), Brittany Anikka Liu (Annelle Dupuy-Desoto), Susan Lynskey (Truvy Jones)

PRODUCTION: Robert Harling (Playwright), Laura Gordon (Director), Regina García (Set Designer), Holly Payne (Costume Designer), Jaymi Lee Smith (Lighting Designer), Melanie Chen Cole (Sound Designer), Stephanie Klapper, CSA (Casting Director), Brandon T. Holmes
(Stage Manager), Andrea L. Shell (Second Stage Manager)

TICKETS: To purchase tickets or for more information, call the Playhouse Box Office at 513-421-3888 (toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana at 800-582-3208) or visit www.cincyplay.com. For patrons who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled, dial 711 to connect to the Box Office via Ohio Relay Services.

Performances on Tuesdays through Saturdays will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. There is one Wednesday matinee at 1 p.m. on March 30. There is one audio-described performance on April 9 at 2 p.m. and one signed performance on April 10 at 2 p.m.

Individual tickets start at just $35. Student tickets are just $15 on the day of the show for all other performances. Discounted ticket prices for teens are available for all productions and are $30 to $45, depending on show and seat location. There will be four post-show meet-the-artist discussions during the run. For tickets, visit cincyplay.com.

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