DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — The Bank Street Players are preparing for the upcoming premiere of ‘Steel Magnolias’ at the Princess Theatre in Decatur.

The cast features six women, who are donning 80’s flare again to reprise roles they first stepped into five years ago, but this time the show will benefit juvenile diabetes research.

Melissa McMahan is playing the role of M’Lynn, a mother who has an adult daughter with Type 1 Diabetes. For McMahan, this role hits close to home. After she stepped into the role five years ago, her own daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

McMahan says her life experience has given her a much clearer understanding of what her character is going through and she believes she may have been too hard on her the first time she played this role.

“Oh, I have much more sympathy for M’Lynn now. Five years ago, I played her as a demanding mother, putting her own expectations on her grown daughter. Now I understand better what it was like for this mother, keeping track of Shelby’s blood sugar, measuring her food portions, calculating insulin doses, monitoring her exercise, making sure she had all of her supplies, training her teachers in her care, taking her to endless doctors’ appointments, lying in bed at night worrying for her future health,” McMahan said in a statement released by the Bank Street Players.

“So when Shelby decides to make decisions that M’Lynn sees as threatening her health, of course, she’s going to react in an emotional way. I get that now. I hope my experience over the last few years will give a more truthful portrayal of this character now,” McMahan continued.

The Bank Street Players say if laughter through tears is one of your favorite emotions, this is a great play to come and watch.

The show premiers on April 21. It runs again on April 22 and 23. There will be a matinee showing at 2:00 p.m. on April 23, otherwise, you can catch the show at 7:00 p.m. on any of those days.

Tickets can be purchased on the Princess Theatre website.