"Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly Away Home"

"Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly Away Home" -- The Original "Steel Magnolias"

This local favorite by Texan Mary Rohde Scudday proved a sensation when it premiered in 1979, enjoying sold-out runs and going on to play to rave reviews at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Now Contemporary Theatre of Dallas stages it for today's audiences, with original cast member Cheryl Denson. Long before "Steel Magnolias", "Ladybug" transported us back to the world of the quintessential 1970s beauty salon of the small-town Texas variety. Amid the suds and camaraderie of this wash-and-set world, lives and emotions are laid bare as the characters quite literally let down their hair -- and their guard -- to deal with life's big issues.