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Moonlight and Magnolias

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  1w, 3m

Legendary producer David O. Selznick has shut down production of his new epic, Gone with the Wind because something just isn’t working. A madcap comedy about Hollywood and one of the most beloved films of all time.

Moonlight and Magnolias

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    1w, 3m
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Farce, Period, Docudrama/History
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary

1939 Hollywood is abuzz. Legendary producer David O. Selznick has shut down production of his new epic, Gone with the Wind, a film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s novel. The screenplay, you see, just doesn’t work. So what’s an all-powerful movie mogul to do? 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 formidable 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 a screenplay that will become the blueprint for one of the most successful and beloved films of all time in this madcap comedy about Hollywood.

History

Moonlight and Magnolias premiered at The Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois on 15 May 2004. Directed by Steven Robman, the production featured William Dick, Rob Riley, Ron Orbach and Mary Seibel.

BEN HECHT
VICTOR FLEMING
DAVID O. SELZNICK
MISS POPPENGHUL

  • Time Period 1930s
  • Setting

    A Hollywood studio lot office. 1939.

  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration 105 Minutes

Media

“Frankly, my dear, this is one funny play… a rip-roaring farce.” – New York Daily News

“An affectionate portrait of the legendary movie producer David O. Selznick and his collaborators… plenty of genuine wit in the dialogue, and the characters are drawn with such affection that one can’t help but cheer for them.” – New York Post

“A Hollywood dream-factory farce.” – Chicago Sun Times

“Consumers of vintage Hollywood insider stories will eat up Hutchinson’s diverting conjecture as to what actually happened behind those closed doors.” – Variety

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

Available Formats:

Authors

Ron Hutchinson

Ron Hutchinson’s theatre work includes RAT IN THE SKULL (revival, Duke of York's Theatre 1995); an adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov's FLIGHT at the National Theatre, 1997; BURNING ISSUES, Hampstead Theatre Club, 1999; BEAU!, Theatre Royal, Bath, national tour and Haymarket, Lei ...
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