Moonlight and Magnolias

David Zelznick (Tim Constantine) is the hyperactive visionary who created what is often considered the greatest film produced in Hollywood. Zelznick convinces scriptdoctor Ben Hecht (James Antonas) and director Victor Fleming (Jeremy Just) to work on a rewrite of the screenplay for five days, while cooped up in his office. They live off peanuts and bananas provided by the faithful assistant Miss Poppenghul (Pauline Constantine).

The well-executed madcap scenario makes for some very entertaining reflections on the high-rolling and high-risk capers involved in making big budget blockbusters. This is a very faithful and studied production of Hutchinson’s text. The American accents are gentle and authentic allowing the parody to be concentrated solely on the extraordinary personas. The beautifully crafted set emphasises the nostalgic elements of the play, while the performances are always working towards the wry cynicism of the text.

The disdain that scriptwriters felt towards Gone With The Wind is expressed in the phrase, Moonlight and Magnolias. It was coined to describe the swooning romanticism of Confederate culture and the little potential for the screen that the writers could see in Margaret Mitchell’s novel. This production gleefully accentuates this premise, and also manages to show how the story is as much about contemporary commercial filmmaking, as it is about the excess and extravagance of the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Patricia Di Risio

Images: (top - from left): Jeremy Just (Victor Fleming), Tim Constantine (Selznick) and James Antonas (Ben Hecht) & (lower - from left):  Tim Constantine (Selznick), Pauline Constantine (Miss Poppenghul). Photographer: David Belton.