Arts & Entertainment

Belles and beauticians

Feisty but flawed, Keegan’s ‘Magnolias’ production revives classic ‘80s dramedy

Published

15 years ago

July 28, 2011

Patrick Folliard

‘Steel Magnolias’
Through Aug. 21
Keegan Theatre at Church Street
1742 Church Street, N.W.
$30-$35
703-892-0202

From left, Sheri Herren, Larissa Gallagher, Jane Petkofsky and Brianna Letourneau in Keegan Theatre’s production of ‘Steel Magnolias.’ (Photo by Jim Coates; courtesy of Keegan)

Before it was a hit film, “Steel Magnolias” won kudos and enjoyed a long and successful run as an off-Broadway play. Written by Robert Harling in response to his younger sister’s death, this drama wrapped in comedy explores solidarity in adversity and the resilience of women, particularly southern women. Keegan Theatre is now offering its own take on the popular work.

The story unfolds entirely in Truvy’s hair salon, a small town Louisiana beauty bastion inhabited exclusively by females, and while both stylists and clients frequently refer to their men who have names like Drum and Spud, the audience never actually meets them. At Truvy’s, women are able to let their hair down. In between shampoos and comb outs, they not only gossip but also share hopes and disappointments.

“Steel Magnolias’” more serious side concerns regular clients M’Lynn and daughter Shelby. The mother is justly worried about her diabetic offspring who marries young and proceeds to get pregnant against doctors’ advice. It’s a lot like a very long episode of the Atlanta-set sitcom “Designing Women” (fittingly Delta Burke was featured in Steel Magnolia’s all-star Broadway 2005 revival) with glib Southern white women dishing, bitching and commiserating. Only here someone dies.

Directed by Mark Rhea, the ensemble cast includes Sheri Herren and real life daughter Laura Herren as M’Lynn and Shelby. Linda High and Jane Petkofsky play cranky spitfire Ouiser and rich widow Clairee, respectively. As Truvy, Larissa Gallagher chats and does hair (in fact, she successfully tortures the big blonde wig that Herrin’s Shelby wears in act one into a respectable wedding up do); and Brianna Letourneau’s Annelle — Truvy’s anxious assistant — evolves markedly throughout the play’s four scenes but regrettably retains her questionable sartorial taste. She trades a frumpy polyester dress for a cowgirl getup.

There are some problems: The cast’s Louisiana accents are all over the place and the pacing of the show is inexplicably uneven. And while some of the actors have chosen to underplay their parts, others are going at it full throttle. Admirably, some of the cast are struggling to portray real characters and not simply caricatures, but given the material it’s not easy.

The play’s intimate setting is well-suited for the cozy Church Street Theater. Trena Weiss-Null’s set design isn’t the tacky beauty box one might expect, but rather a typical modest ‘80s salon with mint-green marbleized walls and black and gray stations. Similarly, costume designer Erin Nugent dresses the ladies in leggings, boxy power suits and other items totally redolent of the era.

A bona fide chick flick, the 1989 film version starring Sally Field and Julia Roberts as mother and daughter is also beloved by a lot of gay men, some of whom can irritatingly rattle off chunks of the film’s dialogue verbatim. Memorable lines include: Truvy’s “All gay men have track lighting and are name Rick, Mark or Steve,” and Ouiser’s “I’m not crazy M’Lynn. I’ve just been in a bad mood for the last 40 years!”

When “Steel Magnolias” opened in 1987 at the Lucille Lortel in Greenwich Village, theatergoers enjoyed meeting these feisty belles and their southern fried phrases, but certainly Shelby’s decision to fearlessly live life in the shadow of death’s specter must have resonated strongly with gay audiences who were around for some of the grimmest years of the AIDS crisis. More than two decades later, the play might feel a little stale, but that courageous spirit still resonates.

Related Topics:Keegan Theatre Out & About Steel Magnolias

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Jason Collins dies at 47

First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer

Published

19 hours ago

May 12, 2026

Michael K. Lavers

Jason Collins (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.

The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.

Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.

Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.

Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.

The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.

“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”

“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”

“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”

“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”

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PHOTOS: ‘Studio 69’

Glitterati Productions hold party at Bunker

Published

2 days ago

May 11, 2026

Michael Key

'Studio 69' was held at Bunker on Friday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Arts & Entertainment

Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week

Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.

Published

2 days ago

May 11, 2026

Staff reports

The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.

Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.

“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”

Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.

Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.

Event Details:

📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026

⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP