The Drama inside the Drama

A A A Comments (0) By Jef Otte Thursday, Jun 30 2011

In its time, Gone with the Wind was the most elaborate spectacle ever put to film (which is impressive, considering that the most elaborate spectacles we have going these days are Michael Bay flicks), but you don’t pull off that kind of technical and theatrical feat with just a wink and a hello. The filmmaking itself was famously troubled and slow, and right down to the script, there was more drama off screen than there was on.

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Enter Moonlight and Magnolias, a play that imagines that troubled time and adapts it for the stage. The action centers around producer David Selznick, director David Fleming and screenwriter Ben Hecht, as Selznick shuts down production and sequesters all three men in a hotel room over the course of a serious weekend to bang out a scrip that works, damn it. Laughter and tears ensue.

“It’s really the right balance,” says Craig Bond, artistic director at Vintage Theatre, which is putting on the show. “There are some theater-goers who love to forget all their troubles and laugh, and there are others who like to be challenged. This play is a great compromise.”

Moonlight and Magnolias opens tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Vintage, 2119 East 17th Avenue, and continues its run Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through the end of the month. For tickets, $20 to $25, or more information, call 303-839-1361 or visit www.vintagetheatreproductions.com.
Fridays, Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2:30 p.m. Starts: July 1. Continues through July 31, 2011