STEEL MAGNOLIAS CAST LIST!  

We have a cast!

The Concord Players' production of Steel Magnolias opens on April 24, 2020, and director Paul Murphy has assembled a cast whose collective talent is nothing short of titanic.

"The characters in the play are funny," says Murphy, "but they are also real. I wanted to be sure we cast actors who could inhabit them authentically and convey the grief they experience and the humor that tempers it with realism. I know this cast will do that."

Written by Robert Harling in 1987, Steel Magnolias is based on the true story of his sister's death. It's a comedy-drama focused on a group of Southern women in Louisiana who are bonded in friendship. They don't always agree, but they do always support each other with an intuitive wisdom and the kind of steely grit that can only come from navigating some of life's most rugged landscapes.

The women gather every Saturday in "Truvy's" beauty parlor where there are stories to tell, recipes to share and secrets to whisper. The play opens on a particular Saturday while the women are preparing for a wedding. Miss Shelby Eatenton is about to marry Jackson Latcherie, a local boy with much promise as a young upcoming lawyer.

Three years later, Shelby is pregnant, not a good condition for a diabetic, but she's determined to have her child.

Concord Players' veteran Linda Burtt is perfectly cast Truvy, a women of substance whose good sense, good humor and good service bring the women of the town to her parlor. Becky Ruccio walked right into the character of M'Lynn, mother of Shelby, a pragmatic woman who is competent and kind and who loves her daughter fiercely. Margaret McCarty, who has graced the Player's stage in the past has all the elegance and stature of Clairee, the Town's erstwhile first lady, trying to adapt to her change in status. Rachael Rabinovitz, last seen in the Concord Players' production of Barefoot in the Park, has exactly the right combination of innocence and insouciance to play Annelle, sweet, and a little confused at first, but a young woman who finds her center and stays there. Dayle Ballentine, who gave us a hilarious deadpan maid in the Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 has the comedic chops to bring us Ouiser, a curmudgeonly matron, blunt, forthright and funny as all get out. Finally, Danielle Wehner nails it as Shelby, a young woman whose "pretty in pink" exterior belies her spine of steel.

And speaking of Danielle, Concord Players isn't a repertory company, but sometimes the talent is just too good to let go. Danielle gave us an outstanding performance as Susie in The Country House and has just finished the Players' run of Barefoot in the Park, as Corie, where she alternated seamlessly from adoring bride to hysterically indignant bride and back again - all in just 3 acts!

Steel Magnolias opens on the Concord Players stage on April 24 and runs for 3 weekends. Directed by Paul Murphy, produced by Corinne Kinsman and Linda McConchie.

So come and welcome spring with the feisty, funny, charming women of Steel Magnolias.  

--Linda McConchie

ANNUAL PATRIOTS DAY PARADE

Calling all Players and Patriots!

 

The Concord Players will be participating in Concord's Annual Patriots Day parade on Monday, April 20th, which marks the 245th anniversary of the Concord fight and the beginning of the American Revolution. Volunteers are needed to march in the parade (weather permitting) which begins at 9:00am at Stow Street, proceeds through Concord Center to the Old North Bridge where a short ceremony takes place, then continues back through town. The entire route is approximately 3 miles.

 

 

Family and friends are welcome to join us. Further information regarding costuming and muster time will follow to those participating.

 

At the conclusion of the parade, the Concord Public Ceremonies and Celebrations Committee will host a luncheon for participants at the Hunt Recreational Center (RSVP requested).

 

To join us in representing the Players in the parade, please email Andrea Roessler.

SAVE THE DATE: PLACES PLEASE!

THE WORLD'S A STAGE PLAYERS

This summer, the newly named "The World's a Stage Players" will present Shakespeare's comedy As You Like It, directed by Nicholas Meunier.

After the wonderful reception summer Shakespeare has received over the years, the summer troupe decided to formalize its identity at the Concord Players with their new name.  "The World's a Stage Players" are excited to announce that they will continue Concord Players' 100th season with their 8th outdoor Shakespeare production at the Concord Free Public Library. 

The pastoral tale of lost souls in Shakespeare's fictional Forest of Arden will draw inspiration from the real Ardennes Forest of France and the Lost Generation of men and women who struggled through the displacement of World War I. It is a play about the redemptive power of love, full of the whimsy, farcical mistaken identity, and word play that make Shakespeare's comedies so fun. It is an outdoor play and a summer play that is not to be missed when the weather turns warm again! Stay tuned for exact dates and times.

Beyond As You Like It this summer, though, also be on the lookout for new performances of Shakespeare and other material that "The World's a Stage Players" will be adding to the repertoire in Concord. These dedicated lovers of the classics are already generating plans to expand what they can offer to the Concord community.