2018 September COLONY Magazine

ROUND TOWN
Moonlight & Magnolias
Three men, five days, one iconic screenplay
Screwball comedy
opening at
Wine Country
Theatre Sept. 21
Moonlight and Magnolias,
Ron Hutchinson’s
Off-Broadway comic celebration
of one of the greatest
movies of all time, opens
Friday, Sept. 21 and runs
through Sept. 30 at the Park
Ballroom, 1232 Park Street in
downtown Paso Robles.
Wine Country Theatre continues
its fourth season with the
zany comedy directed by Lisa
Woske. This wildly funny and
engaging tale illuminates the behind-the-scenes
business of movie-making
during the Golden Age
of Hollywood.
The premise is based on a true
story: Unhappy with the incomplete
shooting script for Gone
with the Wind, legendary producer
David O. Selznick has shut
down production on his new epic.
He sends a car for famed script
doctor Ben Hecht, pulls director
Victor Fleming off the set of The
Wizard of Oz, and proceeds to
lock them all in his office in order
to finish the script. Subsisting on
a diet of bananas and peanuts, the
three men spend five days rewriting
a screenplay that will become
the blueprint for one of the most
successful films of all time.
“If only Hecht had read the
book!” elaborates director Lisa
Woske. “With no time to read
1037 pages, Selznick and Fleming
attempt to act out the story
for him – which may or may not
be helpful…but it sure is comical.
Hecht also provides a bit of social
commentary as he types, so there
are layers beneath the laughs.”
Wine Country Theatre’s Executive
Director Cynthia Anthony
adds, “Moonlight and Magnolias
is a great production to present
this season. Our audiences will
love the fast-paced humor and
enjoy the behind-the-scenes antics
that surround such a wellknown
movie classic.”
Featuring four outstanding
local actors – Chad Stevens, Ed
Cardoza, Tony Costa and Jo Jackson
– the comedy embodies the
mission of Wine Country Theatre,
which is to offer a professional-caliber
theatre experience for
Central Coast audiences.
The show runs Sept. 21–30;
Friday and Saturday nights at
7:30 p.m. with Saturday and
Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. at the
Park Ballroom in downtown Paso
Robles. Wine, snacks and desserts
are available for purchase;
generous table seating allows refreshments
to be enjoyed during
the show. Tickets are $25 general
public; $20 for groups of 8+;
$15 student.
For ticket information go the
website: winecountrytheatre.com
or contact Brown Paper Tickets at
1-800-838-3006.
September 2018, COLONY Magazine colonymagazine.com | 13