Emotions run high and the hair even higher in “Steel Magnolias,” the weepy drama about the joy and sorrow of friendship in 1980s small-town Louisiana. OU Lab Theatre’s production of the beauty salon-set play opens tonight.

“Steel Magnolias,” well-known as the film starring Sally Field,Shirley MacLaine and Julia Roberts, is even more sentimental in its original stage version by Robert Harling, said Judith Pender, associate professor of drama and director of the show. Still, tears aren’t the only emotion it provokes.

“It’s just a huge celebration of friendship and life,” Pender said. “[The characters] are there for each other, warts and all.”

The entire play takes place on one set — a converted carport salon — and stars just six women as a tight-knit group of friends.

One of those women is Pender, who stars as Ouiser Boudreaux. Directing and acting simultaneously gave her an opportunity to work with her students in a different way than ever before, but certainly presented some challenges, she said.

“It’s kind of weird but it’s fun too,” Pender said. “I tried to make it a policy to just stay in the scene [while acting].”

Acting alongside her professor made for a unique experience for drama sophomore Anna Fearheiley, especially because she’s playing Ouiser’s best friend, Clairee Belcher, she said.

To prepare for playing a contemporary of someone with more life experience, Fearheiley spent time with Pender and simply observed the way she talked about her life, she said. With a small cast portraying a close group of friends, this kind of preparation helps.

“There’s a lot of time put into the more intimate moments and intimate relationships,” Fearheiley said.

The show also stars an OU figure not known for his theatrical presence — President David Boren, who appears in voiceover as a radio disc jockey. Pender sought him out for the part, she said.

“I just knew he had a serious inner ham,” Pender said.

With the outrageous coifs and bouffants created in the salon of “Steel Magnolias,” the audience gets a peek at the aesthetic of the ’80s, but the sincerity of the story ensures that the show never enters the realm of camp or ridicule, Pender said.

Watching the show is like looking at photos of one’s parents in dated fashions, Fearheiley said.

“[We go,] ‘Oh, what were they thinking?’ but we love them anyway,” she said.

The ’80s sensibility notwithstanding, “Steel Magnolias” offers a tale that remains universal, Pender said.

“I suspect everyone has an aunt, a cousin, a mother, a sister [or] a teacher like one of these women,” she said. “[The show] offers promise. You can have close friends and support from other generations.”

“Steel Magnolias” opens at 8 tonight and runs through Sunday in the Lab Theatre in Old Science Hall.

What: “Steel Magnolias”

When: 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday

3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Where: Old Science Hall

640 Parrington Oval in Norman

Tickets: $8 adult, $6 student

For tickets, call 325-4101