Synopsis

SCENE I

Steel Magnolias takes place in a fictional small town in Louisiana called Chinquapin Parish, in the beauty parlor of Truvy Jones. At the start, young Annelle is doing Truvy’s hair in hopes of a job in a new town and hopefully a new life. Annelle passes the test and is hired, starting with their first clients, the local ladies who are getting ready for the wedding of Shelby Eatonton to Jackson Latcherie.

The first of the ladies to arrive is Clairee, the classy and sassy grande dame of Chinquapin. Next to arrive is the bride herself, Shelby, followed by her mother M’Lynn. As the women settle in to chatter about the wedding, the groom, and life in town, their gabfest is interrupted by a medical emergency. Shelby begins to have an extreme low blood sugar reaction, as she has Type 1 diabetes. After some help from her mother and the other ladies, Shelby recovers, much to her embarrassment at the incident.

As Shelby recovers, she and M’Lynn reveal that Shelby’s doctor has relayed that pregnancy and childbirth could be dangerous and should be avoided. This revelation led Shelby to tell her fiance the previous evening that they shouldn’t get married, but they talked and the wedding is still happening.

When Clairee goes to put some candy into M’Lynn’s purse, she discovers a gun that belongs to M’Lynn’s husband, Drum, who has apparently been shooting into a magnolia tree shared with the town’s crabbiest resident, Miss Ouiser Boudreaux. Just as M’Lynn is sharing the story of the drama between her husband and Ouiser, the woman herself arrives with her dog who is highly agitated from all the gunfire. After Ouiser’s arrival and subsequent prodding, Annelle shares the sad tale of her shady husband, his questionable dealings, and her escape. The scene ends with Drum’s final rally against the magnolia tree birds, some sort of explosives or fireworks, which rile up both Ouiser and her dog, as they stalk off to give Drum what’s coming to him.

Lily Rabe as Annelle and Frances Sternhagen as Clairee in the 2005 Revival of Steel Magnolias. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus, Playbill.com.

SCENE II

Later that year, the week before Christmas, the ladies reconvene at Truvy’s to prepare for the town’s Christmas festival. Shelby enters the shop to find M’Lynn alone and all the lights off. Truvy and Annelle are out back fixing a blown fuse. Shelby has come home to visit as she no longer lives in town now that she’s married. Shelby reveals to M’Lynn that she is pregnant. M’Lynn is shocked and concerned, considering the medical guidance Shelby had previously been given. An argument between the two ensues.

Synopsis (cont.)

Truvy and Annelle re-enter once the lights are recovered. They share that Annelle has moved into an apartment over Truvy’s garage and has developed quite a crafting hobby. Annelle also shares that her former husband is in jail and she celebrated by kicking up her heels, but has come down from that adventure through her discovery of faith. Annelle has become quite the catch and is doing some catching of her own, dating Sammy DeSoto.

Clairee arrives and tells Shelby about her newest venture, ownership of the local radio station, which also gives her the privilege of doing color commentary for the local football team. After some gossip, Ouiser arrives full of her characteristic spit and vinegar. Shelby mentions to Ouiser that she has met one of Ouiser’s old flames from long ago and that he remembers her fondly.

Shelby then reveals to the group that she is pregnant. The ladies are much more excited about the prospect than M’Lynn, as they do not have a mother’s worry to temper the joy. After Shelby has gone to the car to get some donations to give to Annelle’s church, M’Lynn and the women talk about the reality behind the news.

ACT II

June, eighteen months later, and Shelby, Clairee, and Truvy are at the salon. Truvy is finishing cutting Shelby’s hair into a short pixie cut. When Truvy reveals the cut, Shelby begins to cry, but rallies and espouses the practicality of having easy hair with a baby around the house. Shelby asks for a “day of beauty” including a manicure, which is not the norm.

Clairee shares some local gossip and Annelle prays to herself. As she leaves the room, Truvy tells about Annelle’s extreme piety and devotion to her bornagain church. Ouiser stomps into the beauty parlor with tomatoes in tow, because she is an old Southern woman who is “supposed to” garden. Ouiser later shares that she and Owen, the suitor that Shelby reintroduced her to, have been seeing each other on occasion.

M’Lynn arrives at the shop and is shocked by Shelby’s new look. She mentions that the entire family is home “just to get together.” After Truvy pushes up Shelby’s sleeves for her manicure, what she sees makes clear that there is more to the story than that. Shelby explains that having her baby put too much stress on her kidneys and she has been on dialysis. To alleviate the need for the regular procedure, Shelby will need a kidney donation. Shelby does not need to wait on a transplant list, because M’Lynn will be giving her a kidney and they are going in for the surgery the following day.

The ladies offer their support, prayers, and food to help their friends get through this ordeal, and they will continue to do so as the rest of the play unfolds, no matter what happens..

Rosemary Prinz as M’Lynn and Betsy Aidem as Shelby in the 1987 Broadway production of Steel Magnolias. Photo Credit: Carol Roesegg, Playbill.com.