MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS Plays Gettysburg Stage, Now thru 4/13
By: BWW News Desk Apr. 05, 2013
Gettysburg Stage has announced its opening production for 2013, "Moonlight and Magnolias".
It's 1939 and Hollywood is abuzz. Legendary producer David O. Selznick has shut down production of Gone with the Wind because the script just doesn't work. While fending off the film's stars, gossip columnists and his own father-in-law, Selznick sends a car for famed screenwriter Ben Hecht and pulls director Victor Fleming from the set of The Wizard of Oz. Summoning both to his office, he locks the doors, closes the shades, and on a diet of bananas and peanuts, the three men labor over five days to fashion the screenplay that will become the blueprint for one of the most successful and beloved films of all time.
Moonlight and Magnolias is a rip-roaring farce written by Ron Hutchinson, and directed for Gettysburg Stage by Mark Franceschini. Bringing the vision to life are Jeb Beard as movie mogul David O. Selznick, Michael Baker as famed director Victor Fleming, Ryyn Currey as screenwriter Ben Hecht and Rebecca O'Leary as their long-suffering secretary, Miss Poppenghul.
"Behind every good melodrama is a great comedy," says Franceschini, a veteran director making his debut with Gettysburg Stage "and it is good to be reminded how much effort it takes to provide good entertainment - whether it is a movie or a play about a movie. I couldn't ask for better actors, they are truly engaging performers."
Performances of Moonlight and Magnolias will be held at the GAR Building at 53 E Middle St in Gettysburg at 8pm tonight, April 5th and April 6th, 12th and 13th. Gettysburg Stage is introducing lower ticket prices of $5 for students with the premiere of their 2013 season.
"We want to afford students the opportunity to experience the wonder of live-action theatre. In an era when everything is available on demand, live theatre needs to make every effort to reach a younger audience," says Gettysburg Stage President Jeff Leinbach.Videos
