Progress Theatre's Production of Moonlight and Magnolias by Ron Hutchinson. Progress Theatre Reading, Monday 11th November 2013

Moonlight and Magnolias is a comedy about the frantic 5 day rewrite of the Gone with the Wind screenplay. Or is it? Actually, there is a lot more to this play than just a funny take on the producers, directors and writers of Hollywood’s glory years. As most people will know Gone with the Wind is a sort of soap opera omnibus set against the backdrop of the American civil war. The fact that the heroine is a Southern Belle (or brat if you will) on the wrong side of America’s moral compass has political ramifications for the period. The film was released in 1939, just a few months after Europe had begun the Second World War.

The play also tackles the position of Jews in Hollywood with lots of banter between producer David Selznick (Alex McCubbin) and the writer he has brought in to salvage his production Ben Hecht (Daniel Clarke), both Jews but with quite different views on what that means to them. Daniel Clarke creates a character of Ben Hecht which draws the audience’s empathy from the start; I think I wanted him to have a bagel more than he did. This is vital as Ben Hecht is often the obstructer in this play and the moral questioner which would be a tricky position if the audience hadn’t warmed to him already. The opening scene is fast paced and full of witty remarks but the true laughs came from the physical comedy. The introduction of the director Victor Fleming (Christopher Hoult), who is a rough sort with little respect for any of his actors or crew and even less for writers like Hecht, allows the physical comedy to really shine. A great deal of work must have gone into the various slapstick set pieces which bring up the tempo and energy for the audience but they make it look easy and natural.

The pace does tend to fall at times, especially during the somewhat heavy handed moral dialogues. This is dealt with in this production with the afore-mentioned physical comedy and the actors do an admirable job of keeping the energy high even as they portray the exhaustion their characters feel. The ever ready Miss Poppenghul (adorably played by Alison Hill) helps to relieve the feeling that develops in the second act of also being trapped in that room with the three protagonists. There are some strong visuals and clever use of lighting and music throughout the production.

I enjoyed this show for the performances despite the sometimes repetitive dialogue. I also think there is still relevance in the themes the play tackles, such as whether the responsibility of movie makers is to solely entertain or also to challenge, even if the dominance of the Hollywood blockbuster has diminished a little since the Golden Year of 1939. Progress Theatre’s production aims for the fine balance between the ridiculous and the truthful in this show and in the main they hit in on the head leaving the audience feeling entertained but also thoughtful, which in my book is exactly what any popular movie or play should do.