MUSCATINE, Iowa — “It struck me as amusing. Men are

supposed to be made of steel or something. But I could not leave. I just sat there … holding Shelby’s hand while the sounds got softer and the beeps got farther apart until all was quiet.”

In the scene above, M’Lynn, Shelby’s mother (played by Deidre Pearson), describes how she stays with her dying daughter after all the men have left. The Muscatine Masquers’ cast of six women will display the strength of female friendships in Robert Harling’s “Steel Magnolias” at the Muscatine Moose Lodge in August.

The play is set in the 1980s in Truvy’s carport-turned-beauty parlor in Chinquapin, La. It’s there where the women go to gossip and discuss life’s problems: missing husbands, ungrateful children, stolen magnolias, and the health and welfare of the town’s pretty girl, Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie, who has type-1, or juvenile, diabetes.

“Steel Magnolias” first hit the New York stages in 1987 and was made into a hit film in 1989 starring  Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts. In 2005 the play hit Broadway.

Teresa Sapp, Muscatine Masquers’ Director, says Muscatine audiences have wanted to see the production for many years.

“Several years ago it came up in a play selection committee,” she said, adding that audiences would vote for “Steel Magnolias” when asked what they’d like to see as well. But, she said, “It just wasn’t the right time. I hoped the right people would try out for the parts and they did.”

Truvy Jones, played by Shelly Bell, is described as the girl group’s “gel.”

Bell says she has a lot in common with her character: “She’s the peacemaker among the group, the ‘glue.’ She’s always in a good mood, happy, and is a hopeless romantic. I do like to look at the bright side and bring people together. I want everyone to get along and I think she does, too.”

René Mauck plays the spicy-mouthed Ouiser (pronounced “Weezer”).

“She’s tolerated because people really love her. She loves to make dramatic statements and has a tough exterior because it’s how she’s learned to survive. She’s devastated when Shelby dies because she sees a lot of herself in Shelby.”

Deidre Pearson estimates her acting experience at

25-plus plays. She describes her role as M’Lynn Eatenton as both rewarding and challenging.

“It is challenging because I have to find the right southern accent and I have to try to get through the really sad parts without blubbering.” Pearson also jokingly compares her real husband to M’Lynn’s husband, Drum, who is heard shooting at birds from the magnolia trees in an effort to make his daughter’s wedding perfect.

Other castmembers include the uber-religious beauty shop assistant, Annelle Dupuy-Desoto, played by Pam Cantrell; Clairee Belcher, a widow, socialite, and wealthy radio station owner, played by Rose Howard; and Ashlee Estabrook as pretty girl Shelby, who is determined to live life by her own terms.

The Muscatine Masquers will present “Steel Magnolias” on Friday, Aug. 7 and Saturday, Aug. 8. Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. and the show will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets must be purchased in advance at the Moose Lodge, 207 Lake Park Blvd. for $25 each. Admission includes a choice of baked steak or smothered chicken with salad, potato, and ice cream. A portion of the proceeds will benefit juvenile diabetes research and The Boy Scouts of America troop No. 114.

For more information call 563-263-1014.

Cast

Truvy Jones: Shelly Bell

Annelle Dupuy-DeSoto: Pam Cantrell

Clairee Belcher: Rose Howard

Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie: Ashlee Estabrook

M’Lynn Eatenton: Deidre Pearson

Ouiser Boudreaux: René Mauck

Details

What: The Muscatine Masquers Community Theatre production of “Steel Magnolias,” a play by Robert Harling

Where: The Moose Lodge, 207 Lake Park Blvd., Muscatine

When: Friday and Saturday, Aug. 7 and 8

Time: 6:30 p.m. — Dinner served by Boy Scout troop No. 114. Show begins at 7:30 p.m.

Menu: Dinner theater, either baked steak or smothered chicken

Cost: $25, purchase tickets in advance at the Moose Lodge

A portion of the proceeds will benefit juvenile diabetes research and The Boy Scouts of America Troop #114. For additional information call

563-264-1014.