Playwright Robert Harling talks about ‘Steel Magnolias’
Robert Harling didn’t set out to create a stage and film classic when he wrote “Steel Magnolias” in 1985. Instead, it was a grieving mechanism, suggested by a friend, to help him cope with the loss of his younger sister, Susan, who had died two years earlier from complications due to diabetes.
Harling, a resident of Natchitoches where the story was set and the movie was filmed, talked to The Farmer about his play, which is being performed at both the Cutting Edge Theater in Slidell and the 30 by Ninety Theater in Mandeville over the next three weekends.
Q: What would be the best advice you could give to someone in a production of “Steel Magnolias,” either as a director or actor?
A: It comes from the experience of the first director and the first cast. These are very real people. They’re from my town, and they’re amazingly funny. They’re witty, they’re smart. That’s the way they talk. The reality may seem a little heightened, but to me, it’s very real. It should be played real. Margo Martindale, who originated the role of Truvy off-Broadway, said the cast didn’t realize it was a comedy until the audiences started telling them how much fun it was to be in the room with these women for two hours and 20 minutes. These women used their humor and intelligence to deal with all of this stuff that life threw at them.
Q: Along that line then, is there anything you wish you had written differently, either for the stage or in the screenplay?
A: Not really. There are a couple of lines I would have reshaped, just for the way they sound on my ears. It’s not a big deal, and I’m not going to say what they are. If I ever republish the play, I’ll probably change it then.
Q: You’ve said you didn’t like the Lifetime version of the play from a few years ago. With so many production opportunities out there now – Netflix, Amazon, etc. – would you ever want to see a rebooted stage or movie version tried again?
A: I’m not interested in that. There’s a film that exists with Sally Field and Julia Roberts which I think stands fine. I’m just not a fan of reboots. I don’t see the point.Q: Speaking of the movie, TCM brought it back into the theaters in May for its classic series and also had a screening in Los Angeles as part of its classic film festival. Last week, TCN aired it as part of its introduction to the CNN series on the movies. How cool is it that people will still pay to see the movie?
A: I don’t watch the movie much, but it was so amazing to see it on the big screen again. They also let me know that the re-release was very, very successful. It’s nice to hear about groups getting together to see it again. I loved that.
A: I can’t answer that. It’s like asking which child do you like best. On some days it’s one, and on others, I like the other one. Each in their own way. They’re such a wonderful realization of my sister and mother’s stories. I love the fact that the movie was able to capture my town in all of its glory, and I love the fact that theater is a living, breathing thing, and every actor who comes into the play brings their own ‘specialness’ to their character. You can’t really choose.
