‘Moonlight & Magnolias’ don’t really mix that well

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By David Burke | Friday, April 11, 2008 | 1 comment(s)

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Jason Platt, on the desk, and Don Faust are among the stars in "Moonlight & Magnolias," which is being performed by the Richmond Hill Players in Geneseo, Ill.

This must be the year for Richmond Hill Players to go behind the scenes.

The Geneseo, Ill.-based troupe is following its backstage theater play from February, “Light Up the Sky,” with “Moonlight & Magnolias,” a comedy-dramatization of the efforts by the producer, a writer and a director to salvage “Gone With the Wind.”

Despite gallant performances from each of its three male leads, Ron Hutchinson’s script shifts back and forth too often between screwball comedy and “message piece.”

To the credit of director Jennifer Kingry, the three men she cast in the real-life roles of producer David O. Selznick (Jason Platt), script doctor Ben Hecht (Don Faust) and director Victor Fleming (Chris White) look the parts. Online searches show that there is some visual similarity.

In this play — just as it supposedly happened in real life — Selznick calls in Hecht to rewrite the script and takes Fleming off “The Wizard of Oz” set to direct “Gone With the Wind,” which has all the appearances of a box office bomb.

The trouble? Hecht has read only one page of Margaret Mitchell’s novel and there’s a five-day deadline to get the script ready to go.

So, Platt’s Selznick and White’s Fleming end up acting out a good deal of the book while Faust’s Hecht turns it into a screenplay.

The comedic elements are there: The three sustain themselves on a combination of peanuts and bananas, and they turn loopy and punch-drunk after days and days of their marathon writing session. To see rugged guys such as Platt and White turn themselves into Scarlett and Prissy is a funny idea in itself.

“Moonlight” follows them through disagreements with each other and the eventual collaboration that became one of the all-time classic movies.

But the show also wants to deliver a message about anti-Semitism and the opinion of Jewish people in the movie industry during the 1930s. Hecht is adamant that Selznick take more of a stand for Jewish people while the producer argues that the system can’t be fought.

There are a couple of monologues about the Importance of Movies, including Selznick’s on how he’s making his films for the regular Joes and Janes in the crowd.

There’s also a little bit of foreshadowing about the future of Hollywood. At one point, both director and writer argue about Mitchell’s downer of an ending to the book and try to make their case for filming an additional conclusion and “letting the audience decide.”

It’s a reminder that too many movies these days throw their decisions to focus groups and test audiences rather than letting the creative minds be creative.

Platt has the right balance of executive demeanor, vulnerability and a bit of whimsy as Selznick.

White solidifies his reputation as one of the most versatile actors in the Quad-City region as man’s man Fleming.

And Faust balances his character’s exhaustion and crusading aspects as the movie ghostwriter.

Adding femininity to the trio is Ryan Mosher-Orr as Platt’s secretary, who makes the comedic most out of lines that are generally “Yes, Mr. Selznick” and “No, Mr. Selznick.”

Maybe if I were a bigger “Gone With the Wind” fan, I’d enjoy “Moonlight & Magnolias” more.

As it is, it’s got a few prime screwball comedy elements and several dramatic bits that, frankly, don’t mix well.

David Burke can be contacted at (563) 383-2400 or dburke@qctimes.com. Comment on this review at qctimes.com.

if you go

What: “Moonlight & Magnolias”

When: 7:30 p.m. today through Saturday, April 12; 4 p.m. Sunday, April 13

Where: Barn Theatre, Richmond Hill Park, Geneseo, Ill.

How much: $8

Information: (309) 944-2244 or RHPlayers.com on the Web