FRANKLY, MY DEAR Debuts at Chaffin's Barn 3/18-4/24

Described as "hilarious, irreverent and mostly true," Frankly, My Dear - which purportedly tells what happened when David O. Selznick demanded a new script for Gone With the Wind - opens at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre next week in a new production directed by Martha Wilkinson.

Running March 18-April 24, the comedy by Duke Ernsberger and Virginia Cates, stars Chris Bosen, Derek Whittaker, J. Dietz Osborne and Jennifer Richmond.

The time is 1939 and Selznick has already begun filming Gone With the Wind, but needs a new script. There's only one writer up to the task - the legendary Ben Hecht. The only problem is that Hecht has never read the book and there's only one week to re-write the script. Selznick locks himself, Hecht and director Victor Fleming (pulled off the set of The Wizard of Oz, which he is also directing) in his office to get the job done.

The show is directed by Chaffin's Barn artistic director Martha Wilkinson, a native of Rome, Georgia, who first came to the Barn in 1988. Trained as a performer at Darlington School, the ALLIANCE THEATRE in Atlanta, North Carolina School of the Arts and Berry College, Wilkinson has performed regularly at CBDT for more than 20 years in almost 100 shows and has directed close to 30. She has garnered nine First Night awards for her performances in musical theatre, as well as being selected as Nashville's Best Actress of 2009 by the Tennessean's Toast of Music City voting and in the Nashville's Scene's Best Of...Issue. Wilkinson was most recently seen performing in the critically acclaimed 3Ps production of john & jen, which she also directed.

Wilkinson's cast for Frankly, My Dear includes Chris Bosen (last seen in Blithe Spirit), J. Dietz Osborne (Christmas Belles), Jennifer Richmond (last seen as Corie in Barefoot in the Park) and Derek Whittaker (last seen in this season's Rumors).

Reservations are required for Frankly My Dear; call (615) 646-9977 for ticket information. Sampler memberships for the 2010 season are still available.

Performed on the mainstage at Chaffin's Barn, Frankly, My Dear runs Tuesday through Saturday evenings, with the buffet served from 6 to 7:30 p.m, with the show at 8 p.m. Two senior matinees are planned for March 25 and April 1, with the house opening at 11 a.m. and the show at noon. Senior matinees are $19 (bring your own lunch, with beverages provided) or you may order a boxed lunch for an additional $8.50.

One Sunday matinee is scheduled for Sunday, March 21, with the buffet served from noon to 1:30 p.m. and curtain at 2 p.m. Ticket prices for evening performances and the Sunday matinee are $50 for adults, $35 for students (13-18) and $25 for children 12 and under (prices include dinner, show and tax). Show-only tickets are $35 for adults, $25 for children 12 and under.

Reservations are also being taken for John Chaffin's An Evening of Sherlock Holmes, running March 30-April 24 in the BackStage at the Barn Theatre. Chaffin has put together a trio of the great sleuth's stories ("The Devil's Foot," "The Cardboard Box" and "The Norwood Builder") for armchair mystery enthusiasts.

Call (615) 646-9977 for ticket information or visit the company website at www.dinnertheatre.com for further details about upcoming shows.

To post a comment, you must register and login.