Moonlight and Magnolias — A Show About the Making of One Very Famous Movie

Friday, Mar. 22

Do you know the classic film Gone with the Wind? Whether it just sounds familiar, or if you're someone who can recite the infamous end line with a smile, you'll be leaving All an Act's Moonlight and Magnolias show in a fit of laughter.

Hollywood producer David O. Selznick, played by Chris Bucci, finds himself in quite the bind. He can't seem to get the script right, and he just fired the director. Now, he needs to hire a new director and writer — fast.

The writer he wants is Ben Hecht, who is not at all familiar with the story he's trying to make into a blockbuster film. Accomplished local Erie actor Jawn Gross plays Ben Hecht, and explains that "a movie producer hires a screenwriter because he wants to turn the book Gone With the Wind into a movie. They only have a short time to get it done. So between the producer, his assistant, the writer, and the film's director, they do the best they can in a less than ideal working situation. They have one week to put their creativity to the test, while trying to avoid the pitfalls in all the personality mayhem that ensues."

What makes this a standout comedic piece is that Selznick's ways of making his film are very unconventional. He locks his key players in his office … making sure work gets done.

"It's one of those comedies where timing is everything. A lot of set-up and delivery, a few comedic sucker-punches, all the good stuff. And a bit of physical comedy thrown in for good measure," adds Gross, describing the atmosphere of the show. It's not often a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a film is such a hilarious disaster. Come see for yourself what happens when one eccentric person won't stop until their work is properly finished. — Kalli Oberlander

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m. through Apr. 7 // 652 W. 17th St. // $12 adults, $10 students and seniors, $5 children under 12 // (814) 450-8553 // allanact.net