Pioneer Playhouse Roasts Gone With the Wind in July and August 2011

Kentucky’s oldest outdoor theatre presents ‘Don’t Cry for Me, Margaret Mitchell’
By: Laurie Rowe Communications
 
July 18, 2011 - PRLog -- Mixing groans with laughter, the Pioneer Playhouse in Danville, Kentucky is giving fans of Gone With the Wind something new and funny to “think about . . . tomorrow.” To mark the 75th anniversary of the 1936 publication of Margaret Mitchell’s enduringly popular novel, Kentucky’s oldest outdoor theatre is staging, from July 25 to August 7, the smartly sophisticated and fast-paced “Don’t Cry for Me, Margaret Mitchell.”

“Pioneer Playhouse is thrilled to draw attention to the 75th anniversary in a way that acknowledges the literary impact but also skewers the classic in a hilarious way,” says Artistic Director Holly Henson. “It’s like a ‘roast’ of the novel, giving fans something fresh to sink their teeth into.”

Written by the mother/son writing team of V. Cate and Duke Ernsberger, the play has Gone With the Wind producer David O. Selznick locking two men in his office for an emergency writing session to “improve” the script. As time goes by, they become increasingly delirious, acting out every major character – and parodying all of GWTW’s greatest moments.

Playhouse staff is as determined as Scarlett O’Hara to show theatre guests a good time. A home-style supper – lemon chicken or garlic roast beef stacked between locally-made Briar Knob rye bread, along with cheesy “taters,” coleslaw and local veggies – will be served on the outdoor patio. Accompanying the vittles is Henson’s delightful 80-year-old mother, Charlotte, who perches on a stool on the patio and strums out folk tunes on her guitar.

Additionally, the Playhouse is featuring the book, The Secret of the Belles, by Kentucky author Kathryn Witt, http://www.kathywitt.com/works.htm, which adds a new chapter to the epic that is Gone With the Wind. Called “a beautiful read, and another amazing tribute to the phenomenon that is Gone With the Wind,” by the late Cammie King Conlon (“Bonnie Blue Butler”), the historical novel will be stocked in the Playhouse’s new Backstage Boutique where visitors will also find locally-made hand-painted silk scarves, hand-dyed silk and rayon clothing, one-of-a-kind hand-pieced skirts and jackets, plus wool felted dolls, handbags and totes, ceramics and Inkle and tape looms.

Nearby, the Danville Public Library is hosting a display during the run of the show that will include the novels, Gone With the Wind and The Secret of the Belles, as well as other Civil War-era recommended reads like Raintree County by Ross Lockridge, Jr. (The 1957 Elizabeth Taylor/Montgomery Clift movie of the same name was filmed in Danville and the train station used in several scenes is the Box Office at Pioneer Playhouse.) The display will also feature reprints of local newspaper reviews and stories relating to the 1939 release of the movie, Gone With the Wind and a large Scarlett O’Hara reproduction.

INFO
The Pioneer Playhouse is located at 840 Stanford Road in Danville, Ky. Reservations: 1-866-597-2747, pioneer@mis.net; http://www.PioneerPlayhouse.com. Tickets – Theatre only: $16/adults; $9/children. Dinner and Show: $28/adults; $15/children. Group rates available; see website.

MEDIA CONTACT: Holly Henson, Artistic Director
hollyha@aol.com, 859-236-0921
Pioneer Playhouse
http://www.PioneerPlayhouse.com
End
Source:Laurie Rowe Communications
Email:***@aol.com
Tags:Gone With The Wind, Margaret Mitchell, Pioneer Playhouse, Kathy Witt, Dinner Theatre, Danville, ky, Scarlett O’Hara
Industry:Travel, Entertainment, Lifestyle
Location:Lexington - Kentucky - United States
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