Home and Away star lands new role away from the show - will Harper leave?

 She joined the soap in 2023.

Home and Away star Jessica Redmayne has been cast in a new role that might take her character Harper Matheson away from Summer Bay. Redmayne, who joined the cast of the Aussie soap back in 2023, is now part of the ensemble of a beloved stage play.

The star will play the role of Shelby in Steel Magnolias, touring Australia from April through August this year.

Based on Robert Harling's 1987 play of the same name, Steel Magnolias revolves around a close circle of women gathering at a beauty salon in Louisiana, facing love and loss. The play was adapted for the screen in 1989, with a script penned by Harling.

Now, Redmayne is taking on the role played by Julia Roberts in the movie, joined by Home and Away stars Belinda Giblin and Debra Lawrance as Ousier and Clairee, respectively.

Also starring are Lisa McCune as Shelby's mum, M'Lynn, Mandy Bishop as salon owner Truvy, and Lotte Beckett as Annelle.

The t0ur kicks off in Brisbane in April, with performances in Sydney, Wollongong, Canberra, Perth, and Melbourne. At present it isn't clear whether the months-long tour means that Redmayne is taking a break from Home and Away, or if there's an exit storyline in the cards for her character Harper.

Meanwhile, Steel Magnolias director Lee Lewis has hyped up his "dream cast" of leading ladies ahead of the play's debut.

Once upon a time I wished for the best cast ever for Steel Magnolias…. Lisa McCune! BRILLIANT! Belinda Giblin! LEGEND! Deborah Lawrence! FABULOUS! Mandy Bishop! OUTRAGEOUS! Jessica Redmayne! GORGEOUS! Lotte Beckett! PERFECT!!!! Yes, said my fairy godmother, you shall have a ball," he said in a statement.

"Assembling a magic cast for this very special play has been a real joy. This story means so much to so many people and I can't wait to bring everyone together to revisit all the love, laughter and tears that fill Truvy's salon. A dream cast for a play that lives in all our dreams."