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Arts & Entertainment

Mainstage Production Depicts Frantic 'Gone with the Wind' Rewrite

A Gloucester Township resident is directing the "Moonlight and Magnolias" performance.

Moonlight and Magnolias, the hilarious tale that captures the true-life madness behind frantic attempts to rewrite the Gone with the Wind script, comes to Mainstage Center for the Arts March 2 and 3 at Camden County College’s Dennis Flyer Theatre

This production takes audiences back to 1939 when Hollywood was abuzz. Famed producer David O. Selznick, three weeks into shooting the historical epic Gone with the Wind realized the script didn’t work. He shut down production, fired the director and pulled Victor Fleming off The Wizard of Oz. Then, he locked himself, Fleming, and script doctor Ben Hecht in his office for a race against the clock until they had a screenplay.

Director Ted Wioncek, III, of Gloucester Township, directed an outrageous production of Moonlight and Magnolias last year at the Ritz Theatre. The three leading men—John Jackowski, of Bellmawr (Selznick), Ernie Jewell, of Haddon Township (Flemming), and Arthur Thompson, of Cherry Hill (Hecht)—return for this Mainstage production.

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Jack Shaw, of Stage Magazine, praised their work in his review: "I loved every zany minute of it. If I wasn’t fascinated by the film back story, I was smiling often and tearing up with laughter. If you love theatre and film, Moonlight and Magnolias is the play for you.”

Samantha Morrone of South Philadelphia, portrays Miss Poppenghul, Selznick’s harried secretary. Although she’s new to this cast, Morrone is no stranger to Mainstage or working with Wioncek. She appeared in Groucho: A Life in Revue at Mainstage where Wioncek portrayed Groucho.

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Mainstage Center for the Arts' co-founder and producing artistic director Ed Fiscella was so impressed by Moonlight and Magnolias under Wioncek’s direction that he felt compelled to bring it to Mainstage this year.

"Moonlight and Magnolias is my favorite new comedy,” said Fiscella. "It’s laugh-out-loud slapstick comedy with a really interesting story behind it. I believe it’s a perfect complement to the musicals and dramas offered in our season.”

Mainstage’s season is sponsored by Comegno Law Group, PC.

Moonlight and Magnolias runs March 2 and 3 at 8 p.m. at Dennis Flyer Theatre, inside Lincoln Hall on Camden County College's Blackwood campus. Tickets are $18/21 for adults and $15 for children under 12. To order, please visit www.mainstage.org or call 856-227-3091.

Mainstage Center for the Arts, based at Camden County College, is committed to make the arts experience enjoyable for all its patrons. In an effort to make the shows, concerts, events, workshops, classes and offices accessible to as many as possible, Mainstage offers many services for patrons requiring assistance. For anyone in need of assistance, please notify the office at 856-227-3091 at the time of purchasing tickets, or at least five days prior to the event you are attending.

Editor's note: This article about Moonlight and Magnolias appears as submitted by Stacy Napolitano, Mainstage's public relations professional. If you have press releases pertaining to events happening in or around Gloucester Township, or involving Gloucester Township residents or programs, feel free to forward them to sean.mccullen@patch.com or to self-publish them on the GT Patch Announcements page and/or Events calendar.

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