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In the Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts’ production of the play “Steel Magnolias,” Abigail Storm takes on the role of Truvy Jones.
In the 1989 film version of the play, Dolly Parton played Truvy. This Wagon Wheel production of the play is the second time Storm has taken on a role made famous by Parton.
“(When) I found out I was going to be playing Truvy, I was doing ‘9 to 5,’ which is the other Dolly Parton show and I was playing the Dolly Parton role in that, so it was just special to be like, ‘I am following her track.’ Not to toot my own horn, but I feel like I’m pretty similar to Dolly in a way, like her upbringing, I’m from the south, I’m from Texas. We have some of the same morals and values, so I think it’s exciting,” Storm said.
Even though the film starred such iconic actresses as Parton, Darryl Hannah, Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Olympia Dukakis and Shirley Maclaine, Angélica Concepción - who plays Annelle in the Wagon Wheel stage play - said they have found a way to make the roles their own.
“‘Cause I know when we were first starting in this process ... you automatically just think of their core personality, and I think of the movie, but also finding ways of making that our own and make these characters a little bit of each of us. Because at the end of the day, these characters, even though they all have big personalities, they aren’t caricatures, they’re real human beings. So, for me personally, putting a little bit of Angélica into it has really helped me find who Annelle is, in my world, and in the world of Wagon Wheel Steel Magnolias,” she said.
Concepción said her character, Annelle, is a weirdo and she loves that about her and relates to that.
“She’s just young, trying to find her way, and she has such a beautiful character arc. She starts out like the new girl not really knowing her place. She has this tragic backstory that she just doesn’t know what to do with. And, as the play goes on, she starts to find herself. She’s very drastic about things that she’s trying, but she’s trying it all and I can really relate to that. We’re all doing life for the first time and I think she has a really beautiful ending to her story,” she said.
Storm said the film and stage play are about different ladies coming into a salon and all their different lives coming into one in the space.
“It differs from the stage version though because in the stage version we only get to see one setting, which is the hair salon. And everything that happens in the movie that you would see in the movie, in the play they just talk about it, you don’t really see it,” she said.
In the play, there’s just the six women while the film version had husbands, sons and other characters.
Concepción said, “I think it makes it so special though because it’s only set in Truvy’s hair salon. It kind of has become this sanctuary for the girls to just be themselves. There’s no guys around, there’s no influence of the patriarchy or anything like that. These women can just be themselves and talk about whatever they want, and they’re all best friends so nobody is judging or anything. It’s just become their safe space.”
There are four different scenes to the show, she said, and it travels forward in time so from one scene to the next, time has passed.
“Different things happen and these women grieve together. It’s just really cool to see that this has become their safe haven, their place where they can just have each other’s back. The show’s all about sisterhood and just the way female friendships work,” Concepción said.
The show is very “heartfelt,” but men can enjoy it as well as women, she said. “There’s something to be taken from the play, whether it’s female presenting or male presenting. There’s something that everyone can take from it, which I think is really, really beautiful. It’ll definitely leave you in your feels for sure.”
Storm said there’s also something very special about seeing all the women of different ages getting along like they’re just schoolgirls together.
“Like, her character, Angélica’s character, Annelle, starts out at 19 and goes into her 20s, and my character, Truvy, is in her 40s and they create such like a bond and this friendship,” she said. “The other women in the cast are 50s, 60s and then Shelby is in early 20s, but they all act like they’re the same age and they pick at each other and make jokes. But then when things and they have to grieve together, it’s like there’s no age gap, which is really cool.”
One of the famous quotes in the play comes from the character of Shelby, who says, “I would rather have 30 minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.” It’s a moment that defines the character and her journey.
As to what moment in the play helps define her character, Storm says, “I think I really enjoy Truvy’s and Annelle’s relationship. Truvy kind of takes Annelle under her wing and finds her in a place where she doesn’t know who she is and doesn’t have a place and just takes her in. I’m a big sister, there are six kids in my family, and I have a lot of sisters, and when we were little and when we would find ourselves in times of sadness or stuff was going on, we would play salon. We would get together and we would paint each other’s nails, we’d braid each other’s hair and curl each other’s hair and we would just talk about things, which is really special that’s what this whole show is about. When times are hard, you just get together with your girls and you figure stuff out and you talk it through and you come up with solutions and life goes on.”
The stage play was written by Robert Harling, based on his experience with his sister’s death.
“It just makes it that much more special and that much more important to tell the story in a candid way, which I just think is beautiful. It’s us telling a story that is rooted in reality, and I think that will make it even more heartfelt for the audience watching,” Concepción said.
Storm said she cried the first time she read that it was based on a true story.
“We talk about how Shelby grew up going to this hair salon and listening to all these women chat, and then she grows up and now she’s become a part of these women. It’s really special that it’s based on a true story and this is somebody’s legacy,” she said. “And the whole thing is that M’Lynn, Shelby’s mother, is worried that Shelby’s son will never know how wonderful his mom was and what she went through. And it’s really special that we get to keep telling this story. So, that son and anyone else who has gone through stuff, a similar trial like this, can see their stories being told on stage.”
“Steel Magnolias” is at the Wagon Wheel starting Thursday and going to July 26. Tickets can be purchased at the box office, 2515 E. Center St., Warsaw; by phone at 574-267-8041; or online at wagonwheelcenter.org.
