"Moonlight & Magnolias" to appear on stage this weekend

By Karen Kennedy-Hall
Correspondent

Special to the Chronicle

Brian Watson as Victor Fleming, Vinnie DeMaio as producer David O. Selznick and Howard Christ as writer Ben Hecht act out a scene from ‘Moonlight and Magnolia.’

Special to the Chronicle

Watson acts out a scene with Christ.

Special to the Chronicle

Brian Watson as Victor Fleming, Vinnie DeMaio as producer David O. Selznick and Howard Christ as writer Ben Hecht act out a scene from ‘Moonlight and Magnolia.’

In the middle of what was dubbed the “Golden Age of Hollywood,” legendary producer David O. Selznick suddenly stopped production of the epic movie, “Gone with the Wind,” only three weeks into filming in 1939.

What happened next in Tinsel Town is the premise for the upcoming production, “Moonlight and Magnolias,” opening at 7:30 p.m. today and continuing for three weekends through March 4 at the Art Center Theatre in Hernando.

Shows are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, with a special matinee at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25.

It seems Selznick, unhappy with the script, pulls Academy Award-winning director Victor Fleming off the film “The Wizard of Oz” and entices prolific screenwriter Ben Hecht with an offer of $15,000, to rewrite the “Gone with the Wind” screenplay.

The problem is, Hecht never read Margaret Mitchell’s popular novel. So Selznick sequesters Fleming and Hecht, along with himself, in his office for five straight days and nights, offering them only a diet of bananas and peanuts, as they act out some of the scenes for Hecht to write.

“With them cooped up for five days, tempers flare. There’s comedy and good social commentary in it,” said director Peter Abrams, who is a speech pathologist. “It’s one of the things I liked about it.”

“Moonlight” is based on real events and characters.

“I think that people will like that there’s a lot to laugh at,” he said. “There’s some slapstick and it has some social commentary as well.”

Abrams admits the play may not be portrayed exactly how the events unfolded, as each director adds his or her own interpretation.

“From my point of view, I’m trying to bring out the comedy. There’s also something to learn from it and that’s a good balance,” Abrams said.

The show stars Vinny DeMaio of Beverly Hills as Selznick. A barber by trade, this is DeMaio’s fourth play and second time he’s been the lead.

“We get along very well,” DeMaio said of fellow actors Howard Christ who portrays Ben Hecht, and Brian Watson as Fleming.

Jessica Watson plays Miss Poppenguhl, Selznick’s secretary.

“The play is definitely a challenge,” DeMaio said. “I’m really changing my personality, taking on Scarlet O’Hara, playing feminine parts …  it’s very fast paced.”

It took much convincing by Arts Center President Mac Harris for DeMaio to actually audition for any part.

“I told him I wouldn’t do it,” DeMaio said of his first play. “He (Harris) was very persistent.”

Finally, DeMaio admitted he wasn’t nervous about being on stage but of drawing a blank on his lines.

“It happens to everybody. Don’t worry about it, you’ll be fine,” DeMaio said Harris told him, adding fellow actors always help each other out.

So now DeMaio has caught the acting bug.

“It’s a lot of hard work,” he said. “It’s fun, I really enjoy doing it … and working with the people of the Art Center.”

Harris said the theatre has been pretty successful.

“We try to select plays that we think will appeal to audiences,” he said. “We ask ourselves, ‘does it have the characteristics our audience will appreciate?’”

Abrams is convinced “Moonlight and Magnolia” is going to be one of the Art Center’s hits.

“I haven’t told my cast yet, but I think they’re going to be a smash,” he said. “The acting is high-quality, Broadway-quality actors. I think the interaction is really superior.”