RSTC’s ‘Steel Magnolias’ blossoms on stage

By Jenna Munswami

This past weekend The Rider Student Theatre Company performed the play “Steel Magnolias.” The story follows six southern women as they share their joys and sorrows in a hair salon. As the seasons change, so do the women as their bonds grow stronger. Every moment of it was a joyful experience. With its wonderful cast and crew, everyone involved truly outdid themselves. 

One aspect of the play that stood out to me was the acting. All of the actors were so incredibly talented and truly brought their respective characters to life. Each character’s personality was evident through the dialogue and their body language. 

The character Annelle, played by freshman acting major Jordan Perucki, had an anxious and avoidant personality that was communicated clearly right from the moment she took the stage. Her growth in self-assurance was also wonderfully portrayed. 

The mother-daughter relationship between M’Lynn, played by junior film and television major Sophia McMarthy, and Shelby, played by sophomore musical theater major Jadyn Kelly, was another highlight. Both actors really tapped into their respective characters and made their interactions feel relatable to the audience. Their tone and body language made it feel like I was really watching a mother and daughter conflict with each other.

Sophomore acting major Giorgia Dallasta really brought the loveable character of Ouiser to life with dynamic acting choices that highlighted the character’s sympathetic emotions.

Every interaction between Clairee, played by junior acting major Chloé Le Breton, and Truvy, played by sophomore musical theater major Leah Miller brought a smile to my face. Seeing them together genuinely felt like seeing old friends talk; it felt inviting and like the audience was in on their gossip, too. The natural flow of their conversations and their facial expressions truly made them seem like life-long friends.

I could not give enough praise to all the actors and their performances. Every little detail that the actors incorporated were only highlighted by the amazing crew backing them, too.

As a self-proclaimed fashionista, I cannot ignore the show’s incredible costume design. None of the outfits came off as an overly-obvious costume; they all looked like outfits that people would actually wear. They also represented the characters and scenes very well. Shelby’s pink ensembles were always super cute, especially the coat that she dons towards the end of the play. A major aspect of her character is that she absolutely adores the color pink. I love the way that this was highlighted through her costuming without it being overbearing. M’Lynn in green was a good contrast to her daughter. Green being an inverse of pink was a really interesting way to show the contrast in ideals between the two characters. The sudden shift to black at the end also left a great impact and was a good use of storytelling without words. M’Lynn’s outfits were also realistic for a mother character while remaining stylish. My favorite character outfits were definitely Annelle’s. The shift from her first outfit to her Christmas one was a great way to portray her character’s growing self-confidence. After that, all of her outfits were so different from each other but they still felt accurate for the character. All in all, from shoes to accessories, every outfit was curated with such meticulous detail that I could not help but show my appreciation for them.

“Steel Magnolias” is such a heartwarming show. I went into it with only a vague idea of the plot; I only knew it contained a wedding. That was definitely the way to go because I hung onto every word. I sat in anticipation as I watched the story unfold. The actors did their jobs beautifully. I laughed and even almost cried. If I could, I would definitely watch it again. I would like to extend my congratulations to the cast and crew for putting on such a flawless performance of a heartwarming story of unwavering love and friendship.

Jenna Muswami is a sophomore communication studies major