The Colony Theatre in Burbank is featuring the comedy, Moonlight and Magnolias, written by Ron Hutchinson and directed by Andrew Barnicle. The play is loosely based on facts that occurred during the time in 1939 that MGM was in the midst of filming Margaret Mitchell’s novel, Gone With the Wind.

Producer David O. Selznick (Roy Abramson) is frantic, trying to keep the filming of his extravaganza on track. Somehow, the screenplay just is not working and he has halted production. In order to remedy the situation, he fires George Cukor, the director, and replaces him with Victor Fleming (Brendan Ford).

clockwise from left:  Roy Abramsohn, Emily Eiden, Brendan Ford, and Matt Gottleib
 

 He then calls upon Ben Hecht (Matt Gotlieb) to rework the script. Without their prior knowledge, Selznick locks the door to his pristine office and begs the men to stay with him for five days to fulfill his dream of making the greatest picture ever. On top of this indignity, he forces them to subsist for the five days on nothing but peanuts and bananas which he tells them is conducive to the brain. The final hitch is when Selznick learns that Hecht has never read the book. So how can he be expected to write the script? In order to aid him in his quest, Fleming and Selznick act out the entire book while Hecht pounds away at the typewriter. These scenes become somewhat slapstick in their effort at comedy, however good these three men are in their portrayals. As the days go by, the office becomes disheveled as does Selznick’s loyal secretary, Miss Poppenghu (Emily Eiden). But, alas, as we all are aware, David O. Selznick succeeded in creating a masterpiece.

Basically, Moonlight and Magnolias (the name Selznick was first going to title his movie) is a very funny comedy, but as previously mentioned, it often fell into slapstick. There were some more serious discussions between the three men when they got off track from their main objective, but this was, undoubtedly, the writer’s effort at serious relief. Matt Gotlieb needed to project more, as he sometimes was difficult to hear. Emily Eiden, though her part was small, was definitely an asset to the play. All in all, the play is fun entertainment.