Coronation Street's Joe Alessi to play Hollywood heavyweight in Moonlight and Magnolias
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
Written by Ron Hutchinson and directed by Kirsty Patrick Ward, Moonlight and Magnolias runs at Nottingham Playhouse from Friday, February 21 to Saturday, March 7, 2020.
The cast of what is described as an hysterical comedy includes Coronation Street and EastEnders star Joe Alessi as legendary Hollywood film producer David O. Selznick.
Alessi’s other theatre credits include Fatherland (Frantic Assembly) and Dr Seuss’s The Lorax (The Old Vic). He also appeared in the Playhouse’s critically acclaimed production of Robert Lepage’s Polygraph in 2003.
Joe Alessi said: “It’s great to be playing a character as big, bold and boisterous as David O. Selznick – he was truly a giant of cinema at that time and his antics are legendary. Bringing him to life as part of this comedy is proving to be great fun.”
Three weeks into filming Selznick famously scrapped the Gone With The Wind script, tasking a new director and screenwriter with creating a brand new one from scratch. Hilariously they only had five days to achieve cinematic magic. Moonlight and Magnolias speculates what happened when a studio boss had to take drastic action – locking his new creatives in his office with a typewriter, a novel and just peanuts and bananas for food.
Also joining the cast is Dan Fredenburgh (Pig Farm, St James Theatre, Bang, Bang, Bang, Royal Court) as frustrated screenwriter Ben Hecht and Oscar Pearce (The Tempest, Bring Up the Bodies and Wolf Hall, RSC) as movie director Victor Fleming.
Nottingham actress Hayley Doherty (Much Ado About Nothing, Comedy of Errors and Macbeth, Guildford Shakespeare Company) will feature as the long-suffering secretary Miss Poppenghul.
Director Kirsty Patrick Ward (Groan Ups in the West End, a new play by the award-winning team behind The Play That Goes Wrong), previously worked on Nottingham Playhouse’s award-winning Shebeen.
Kirsty Patrick Ward commented: “I’m thrilled to be directing Moonlight and Magnolias. It’s a fast-paced, physical and often ridiculous comedy that brings to life the golden age of Hollywood. However, it also gets to grips with some big issues – like racism and anti-Semitism – meaning that is still incredibly relevant today.”
Moonlight and Magnolias will be designed byTim Meacock, with lighting design by Jamie Platt and sound design by Ella Wahlström.
Tickets for general booking can be found at www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/whats-on/drama/moonlight-and-magnolias.