Jeff Sanders directs Pentacle’s latest production, Steel Magnolias. This is the story of six southern women who meet in a beauty salon to gossip, laugh, and suffer together. When tragedy shakes their lives, they rely on each other to survive the storm.

I have become, over the years, a tremendous fan of set designer Tony Zandol. His character, the stage, is always the first one you meet when you go to Pentacle, and he never disappoints. Steel Magnolias' 1980’s cotton candy set is richly detailed and bizarrely attractive. Zandol gets to show his subtle sense of humor in its design, and we get to be in on the joke.

This play is meant to be cozy, not challenging. Charming, warm, and above all, intrinsically feminine. The bulk of the play involves the women talking about the amusing and memorable things that have happened off-stage. Their banter is sweet, if not original, with lines such as, “If you can’t say anything nice, come sit by me!“ It's all very comfortable and familiar in an aunties-sitting-around-the-kitchen table sort of way, which is exactly what the play intends to invoke.

At first Geri Greeno-Sanders appears an odd casting choice to play the wilful lead of Shelby. The character breakdown calls for an actress who can play a 19-year-old, which Greeno-Sanders cannot do. This is a interesting choice for Pentacle, as they are usually sticklers for age-appropriate casting. However, Greeno-Sanders inhabits Shelby very well. Her natural comedic abilities sit well in the character, and her Shelby has a sequin sparkle while in no way lacking depth.

J. Marie Bailey is the generous-hearted Truvy, whose salon is the home base for the women. Annelle is played wonderfully by Rachel Ost, with wide-eyed insecurity blooming into perfect over-the-top comedic vigor. Jennifer Gimzewski once again channels a delicate spirit, this time to portray a dignified and charming woman in Clairee. Deborah Leinen is wry and wise, wearing the strain and joy of being Shelby’s mother very convincingly. Robynn Hayek plays crowd-favorite Ouizer, the town’s cranky old eccentric, with a tired sarcasm well suited to the character.

All six women embody the play’s title: the delicacy and femininity of the magnolia, balanced with southern fortitude and stubbornness of steel. Over the course of the play those two traits are explored and brought into better balance for each woman. They find themselves to be neither as fragile or as indestructible as they thought.

It is true that Pentacle’s Steel Magnolias is made up of the same stuff that is the backbone of programming on Lifetime Television for Women. Comfortable complaints about men, children, friends, and romance, all offset with tragedy designed to reach into the hearts of women and squeeze hard. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There is a reason an entire network can be supported by stories of sassy strong women navigating life’s rough seas. Women love to watch it; it rings true for so many of them. These are the women who will love the warmth, heartache, and familiarity of Steel Magnolias.