An Evening At The Theatre

Tonight, my Moonlight and Magnolias cast/crewmates were treated to Kernersville Little Theatre's production of Don't Cry For Me, Margaret Mitchell. Both shows deal with the story of how the Gone With The Wind screenplay was written.

Having just closed our production, I tried to view things as objectively as I could. I had also heard this production might be representing NC during SETC's Community Theatre Festival. I tried to watch as if I was an impartial adjudicator.

The set was nice, and it was a very good use of the Folly stage. Bill and Kathy Cissna designed lights, and it was very nice to see more than just off/on at the Folly.

Judith Gillis, who played Mrs. Peabody, was my favorite. She was spot-on in her realistic portrayal of Mrs. Peabody.

I don't know whether it was because it was a Wednesday performance or whether they were nervous because the playwright was also in attendance, but the guys had some line issues. That, combined with very poor pacing, made the production painful to watch at times.

I was also surprised that neither the actors (save Peabody who had at least 5 costume changes) nor the set showed signs of wear and tear during the 7 days. And while Hecht lamented about being starved on a diet of bananas and peanuts, Selznick was the only one who partook. (Peabody must have been very efficient-no banana peels, peanut shells - no litter at all!)

It was a good production for the normal KLT audience, and they were appreciative in their response. I think the overall production, especially the male actors, need some more work if the production is selected to represent NC.