Ramsey Theater Company will bring its production of “Steel Magnolias” to the RiverPark Center at 7 p.m. Saturday, marking the company’s first regional tour stop outside Bowling Green.
For Producing Artistic Director Diane DiCroce, the performance represents more than a single night of theater — it’s a milestone for the young professional company founded in 2023.
“This is the first — whether we call it a tour or just a run-out — the first tour we’re doing,” DiCroce said. “It’s important for us to bring these very high-quality professional productions out into the region because they’re rehearsed and created here in Kentucky. And we just want to share the love.”
Originally an Off-Broadway play by Robert Harling before becoming the beloved 1989 film starring Julia Roberts, Sally Field, and Dolly Parton, “Steel Magnolias” centers on six women whose lives intersect in a small-town beauty salon in Louisiana.
“It’s a timeless classic play about friendship between women and support, how women support one another,” DiCroce said. “The action of the play happens in Miss Truvy’s beauty salon, and it follows the course of a two-year span.”
The story opens on the wedding day of Shelby, the character made famous on screen by Roberts, and unfolds across changing seasons in the fictional town of Chinquapin Parish near Shreveport. While the film adaptation expanded locations and characters, DiCroce noted that the play keeps its focus tightly on the six central women and the bonds they share.
“It’s all about the bonds between women, how they trust and support one another through really, really difficult moments,” she said. “The friendship and love that this group of women have for one another — people really respond to the story and the charm of this piece.”
The production recently completed a successful run at the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center in Bowling Green. DiCroce said the cast blends out-of-town professionals with regional performers, bringing experience from television, film, and stage.
“This cast loves each other,” she said. “They’ve been in conversation with each other and working with each other now for three weeks. The chemistry is solid. They all love one another so much that they actually spend time together outside of rehearsal.”
As producer, DiCroce said that offstage camaraderie translates directly to the performance.
“I know that the cast is having just as great of a time off stage as they are on stage,” she said. “They’re going to bring that friendship and love and chemistry to the RiverPark Center stage on Saturday. So it’s just, it’s really exciting.”
The timing of the show also carries added significance. The performance falls on the eve of Women’s History Month.
“It’s a cast of strong women, and we’re getting ready to start Women’s History Month the day after we open,” DiCroce said. “The play takes place in the South. It’s filled with Southern charm.”
One of the production’s most memorable lines, DiCroce said, captures the spirit of the show: “I’d rather have 30 minutes of wonderful rather than a lifetime of nothing special.”
“Our play is longer than 30 minutes,” she added, “but this play is so special and so exceptional in terms of its casting, its scenic design, the direction — all of the elements of the production. It’s really wonderful.”
Tickets are available at riverparkcenter.org or at the RiverPark Center box office.
“We’re excited to share the love with everyone there in Owensboro,” DiCroce said. “It’s going to be a wonderful show and a wonderful Saturday night and a wonderful way to kick off Women’s History Month.”
