Sandy Springs Resident Brings Margaret Mitchell to Life in New Play

If “Gone With the Wind” is one of your favorite classic books and films, Sandy Springs resident Melita Easters has a treat for you.

Her research on the rich fabric of author Margaret Mitchell’s life has resulted in a one-woman play, “Mrs. John Marsh — The World Knew Her as Margaret Mitchell.”

The play, which opened Thursday, runs through June 19 at Ansley Park Playhouse in Midtown Atlanta. 

“Gone With the Wind” was published in May of 1936 — 75 years ago, to be precise. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and to be adapted into one of the most beloved movies of all time.

Easters began her journey to dramatize the life of Margaret Mitchell more than 20 years ago. A staged reading at the Alliance Theater in 1991 led to a two-week production in 1992 at the 14th Street Playhouse.

Since then, more details and research have emerged about the reclusive author, such as “Margaret Mitchell and John Marsh: The Love Story Behind Gone With the Wind,” by Marianne Walker. Published in 1993, the 555-page account of the author’s marriage has been out of print for two years, but was just re-issued this week by Atlanta’s Peachtree Publishers.

Drawing on hundreds of personal letters not previously combed (as opposed to thousands of Mitchell’s letters housed at the University of Georgia), Walker’s book reveals what a strong support and essential guidepost John Marsh was for his wife.

Easters’ current play includes an audio-visual component of rare and historic photographs, as well as newsreel footage from the world premiere of the “Gone With the Wind” film that gripped Atlanta on Dec. 15, 1939.

She says this revised production “is a richer, more complete portrayal of Margaret Mitchell, and it probably has more humor than my original version. The more you research a person, the greater your understanding. I found I was able to put one or two specific episodes into better perspective. And I allowed myself to be a little looser.”

She continued, “My additional research, along with revisiting her work as a reporter have now filled in some of the gaps in that tapestry.”

Easters’ two-act play unfolds in 10 scenes, most set in the 1930s. The last scene takes place on August 11, 1949, just before Mitchell and Marsh left to see a movie, “A Canterbury Tale.” 

They didn’t see the film. While crossing Peachtree Street in Midtown, Mitchell was struck by a taxi cab. She died five days later, three months shy of turning 49.

Kandace Christian, an award-winning Nashville-based actress who was Miss Mississippi 1992, will bring the “Gone With the Wind” author to life in Easters’ 90-minute play.

“As a former beauty queen, she has that flirty charm down pat — that charm that was part of Margaret Mitchell’s debutante days,” Easters said of Christian. “She is also close to the age Margaret Mitchell was at the time the book was published and during the time most of the scenes take place.”

When Easters first saw Christian play Mitchell in a staged reading in Tennessee, she was further delighted that the actress handily captured Mitchell’s “steely toughness and determination.”

“The other neat thing about Kandace,” Easters said, “is the cadence of her voice. Because she grew up in Tupelo (Miss.), her manner is more akin to the natural Southern quality that was Margaret Mitchell’s voice in the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s.”

Mary Rose Taylor, founder of the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum, calls Christian is “a marvelous new talent” in the role of Mitchell. Taylor has also praised Easters’ play in general, saying it perfectly captures Mitchell’s “complexity, humor, and above all, her Southerness.”

If you go: “Mrs. John Marsh — The World Knew Her as Margaret Mitchell” runs through June 19 at Ansley Park Playhouse, 1545 Peachtree St., Atlanta.  Tickets $25-$30; group discounts available. Special “Talk Back” sessions with actress and author will follow evening performances on Friday, June 8, 10, 16 and 17, and follow matinee performances June 5 and 15. 404-875-1193; email: tickets@ansleyparkplayhouse.com. Reservations and lineup of all special events: http://www.ansleyparkplayhouse.com/mmreservations.html