''The Legend of Georgia McBride'' is a 2014 American play written by

Matthew Lopez Matthew Lopez may refer to: * Matthew López (writer) (born 1977), American playwright and screenwriter * Matthew Lopez (fighter) (born 1987), American mixed martial artist * Matthew Lopez (art researcher) (born 1993), Filipino art researcher, ...

Plot

Casey, a young

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

impersonator barely making a living, finds a path to prosperity by becoming a

lip-syncing Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , like the word ''sink'', despite the spelling of the participial forms ''synced'' and ''syncing''), short for lip synchronization, is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements ...

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...

. He's young, he's broke, his landlord's knocking at the door, and he's just found out his wife is pregnant. To make matters even more desperate, Casey is fired from his gig as an Elvis impersonator in a run-down, small-town Florida bar. When the bar owner brings in a B-level drag show to replace his act, Casey finds that he has a whole lot to learn about show business—and himself.

Productions

''The Legend of Georgia McBride'' premiered at the

Denver Center for the Performing Arts The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) is an organization in Denver, Colorado which provides a showcase for live theatre, a nurturing ground for new plays, a preferred stop on the Broadway touring circuit, acting classes for the communi ...

in January 2014. The production was directed by Mike Donahue.Bows, Bob
"Denver Theater Review: ''The Legend of Georgia McBride'' "
''Variety'', January 22, 2014 That production was subsequently produced

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

at MCC Theater, opening in September 2015, again directed by Mike Donahue, featuring choreography by Paul McGill. The play ran at the

Geffen Playhouse The Geffen Playhouse is a not-for-profit theater company founded in Los Angeles, California by Gilbert Cates in 1995. It produces plays in two theaters in Geffen Playhouse, which is owned by University of California Los Angeles. The Playhous ...

in Los Angeles from April to May 2017, directed by Donahue with

McGill McGill is a surname of Scottish and Irish origin, from which the names of many places and organizations are derived. It may refer to: People * McGill (surname) (including a list of individuals with the surname) * McGill family (Monrovia), a promin ...

's choreography. The play has been produced at Marin Theatre Company in 2017 in

Mill Valley, California Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States, located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge and from Napa Valley. The population was 14,231 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Mill Valley is lo ...

, directed by Kent Gash, the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia in October to December 4, 2016, directed by Emmanuelle Delpech, at Redwood Curtain Theatre in Humboldt County, directed by Shea King, and at ACT in Seattle in 2017, directed by David Bennett. The play was produced at Cygnet Theatre Company in 2017 in San Diego, California and Hippodrome State Theatre in Gainesville, Florida as a part of the fall portion of their 2017/2018 seasons. The Southwest Regional premiere was produced at Uptown Players in Dallas, Texas in December 2017. The Hawaii premiere of the play was by Manoa Valley Theatre in Honolulu in November 2017. In 2018, ''The Legend of Georgia McBride'' was produced at the

Guthrie Theater The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The concept of the theater was born in 1959 in a series of discussions among Sir Tyrone Gut ...

, under the direction of Jeffrey Meanza and running from June 16 to August 26. Round House Theatre in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

produced ''The Legend of Georgia McBride'' in June to July 1, 2018, directed by Tom Story. Flying Anvil Theatre in Knoxville, Tennessee, staged their production of the play from May 30, 2018, to June 24, 2018. Los Altos Stage presented the play September 6 to 30, 2018 in Los Altos, California. B Street Theatre at The Sofia in Sacramento, California produced the play from November 6 to December 9, 2018, directed by Jerry Montoya. The Central Florida premiere of ''The Legend of Georgia McBride'' ran from January 18 - February 3, 2019 at the Garden Theatre in

Winter Garden, Florida Winter Garden is a city in western Orange County, Florida, United States. Located west of Downtown Orlando, it is part of the Orlando metropolitan area. The population was 46,964 as of the 2020 census. History The pre-European history of the ...

. Vermont Stage ran the play April 17-May 5, 2019 at the Black Box Theatre in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...

, starring Irving Green, Bob Bolyard, Larry Connolly, Britt Michael Gordon, and Lia-Shea Tillett. The Connecticut premiere took place at the Seven Angels Theater in

Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Waterbury had a population of 114,403 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. The city is southwest of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury i ...

on November 7, 2019, where it ran until December 1. With its premiere at Bavarias state theater

Staatstheater Nürnberg The Staatstheater Nürnberg is a German theatre company in Nuremberg, Bavaria. The theatre is one of four Bavarian state theatres and shows operas, plays, ballets and concerts. History Its main venue, the opera house ("Opernhaus Nürnberg"), i ...

on January 25, 2020, the play was performed for the first time in Germany. The Barnstormers Playhouse in Tamworth, NH produced it as part of their 2022 season, running from July 14 - July 23.

Awards and nominations

Source: Internet Off-Broadway database ;2016

Lucille Lortel Award The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres ...

* Outstanding Choreographer — Paul McGill, Choreographer (nominated) * Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play — Matt McGrath (win) * Outstanding Costume Design — Anita Yavich (win) * Outstanding Lighting Design — Ben Stanton (nominated) ;2016

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

" ''Shuffle Along'', ''The Humans'', and More Take Home 2016 Drama Desk Awards"
theatermania.com. June 5, 2016 * Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play — Matt McGrath (nominated) * Outstanding Wig and Hair — Jason Hayes (nominated) * Outstanding Costume Design — Anita Yavich (win) ;2016 Hewes Design Award, Costume Design (nominated) ;2016

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town news ...

*Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play (nominated) *Outstanding Director of a Play — Donahue (nominated) *Lucille Lortel Award for New Director — Donahue (nominated)

References

External links

''The Legend of Georgia McBride'' Internet Off-Broadway database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Legend of Georgia McBride 2014 plays American comedy plays LGBTQ-related plays Cross-dressing in literature