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A Play about the Movie: Little Theatre takes a comedic view of legendary rewrite Kernersville native
Photo by Monica Young
Judith Gillis as Miss Peabody in Don’t Cry for Me, Margaret Mitchell.
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Published: September 16, 2009
KERNERSVILLE - When Marshall had the opportunity to be the production manager for the North Carolina premiere of Don't Cry for Me, Margaret Mitchell, she brought excitement and an intimate working knowledge of Gone with the Wind, also a classic American film that won 10 Academy Awards.
The play will be performed by the Kernersville Little Theatre starting Friday and running through Oct. 4 at Korner's Folly.
Don't Cry for Me, Margaret Mitchell was written by a mother and son team from Charlotte, Virginia Cate and Duke Ernsberger, who also have local ties. Ernsberger attended UNC School of the Arts.
Myla O'Brien, the theater's vice president of marketing, said that the play "is a very funny speculative look at what happened during the seven days when Hollywood giants producer David O. Selznick, director Victor Fleming and script doctor Ben Hecht locked themselves in Selznick's office to rewrite the screenplay for Gone with the Wind. Only Miss Peabody, Selznick's faithful secretary, has access to the men during their sequester."
The film rewrite was necessitated by artistic differences on the 1939 set. Hecht, known as the "Shakespeare of Hollywood," was brought in to rescue the movie.
"For seven days, Fleming, Selznick and Hecht holed up with coffee, peanuts and bananas to make their weekly deadline," said Marshall, who has been a volunteer at the theater since 1979. "This is a very funny play about what they went through to rewrite the script."
Peanuts and bananas were thought to be brain food, and the men felt that eating them would help them write faster and better. Marshall explained that there have been similar plays about the rewrite, but the theater chose this version for its comedic approach and for the opportunity to be the first North Carolina theatrical group to perform it. The play has been performed two previous times.
Director Nathan Adam Sullivan, a freelance director who moved to Kernersville from Arkansas last year, is directing his first production for the theater. He said that performing the play in Korner's Folly will add a step-back-in-time feeling.
"It has a vintage air to it, and is an interesting space. While it does have some challenges, it's awe-inspiring. The history of the Folly is really amazing," Sullivan said.
On opening night, a silent auction of Gone with the Wind memorabilia will be held, Marshall said. She and other members of various Gone with the Wind fan clubs have provided special items for the auction.
Monica Young can be reached at cyoung9@triad.rr.com.
Don't Cry for Me, Margaret Mitchell will be presented at Korner's Folly for three weekends starting Friday. The dates are Friday through Sunday, Sept. 25-27 and Oct. 1-4. The Friday and Saturday shows start at 8 p.m., as does the Oct. 1 show. Sunday's shows (Sunday, Sept. 27 and Oct. 4) start at 4 p.m. Admission is $15 for people 55 and older and students, and $18 for adults; admission includes a tour of the Folly and a wine-and-cheese intermission. Because of limited seating, reservations are recommended. Proceeds from the show go the preservation of Korner's Folly. For more information, call the Kernersville Little Theatre at 996-6556.
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