North Carolina Theatre launches its 2022-23 season with Robert Harling's Steel Magnolias beginning November 4 at the A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater at Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh.

Directed by Lauren Kennedy, performances continue through November 13.

The cast is led by NC native Felicia Finley (Mamma Mia!, The Wedding Singer) as Truvy, two-time Tony nominee Alison Fraser (The Secret Garden, Romance/Romance) as Clairee, Angela Pierce (The Great Society, Oslo) as M’Lynn, Meadow Nguy (The Blacklist, Law and Order: SVU) as Shelby, Kathleen Garrett (The First Lady, Inventing Anna) as Ouiser, and Carly Grissom as Annelle. Understudies include Bonnie Webster, Ali Evarts, and Susannah Hough.

Checking In With… Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Star Alison Fraser

Set in the fictional Louisiana parish of Chinquapin at Truvy’s beauty shop, six southern spitfires gather each week to gossip and support each other through thick and thin. 

The 1987 Off-Broadway play blossomed in regional theatre and became a starry hit movie (with Dolly Parton as Truvy, Sally Field as M'Lynn, and Julia Roberts as Shelby). The play made its Broadway debut in 2005 in a production that featured Lily Rabe, Delta Burke, Christine Ebersole, Frances Sternhagen, Marsha Mason, and Rebecca Gayheart.

The production also has sound design by Eric Alexander Collins, lighting design by CJ Barnwell, costume design by Kishara McKnight, and scenic design by Benedict Fancy.

"How lucky are we to have one of Raleigh’s very own steel magnolias, Lauren Kennedy, to direct this hysterically poignant southern play. Our powerhouse company will make you feel like you have never seen this story before. This marvelous cast is comprised of incredible performers from Broadway, television, and our local NC stages. Come share your laughter through tears with us!” said North Carolina Theatre Producing Artistic Director Eric Woodall in an earlier statement.

Click here for ticket information.