''The Legend of Georgia McBride'' is an American play written by

Matthew Lopez Matthew Lopez (born December 12, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Lopez was born in Safford, Arizona, United States. Lopez's father was t ...

Plot

Casey, a young

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

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

lip-syncing Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated thr ...

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...

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

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

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, 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 ...

, 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 The Hippodrome Theatre (locally known as The Hippodrome or The Hipp) is a regional professional theatre in downtown Gainesville, Florida, United States. It was founded in 1973 by local actors and was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic ...

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 between Sir Tyrone Gut ...

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

Round House Theatre Round House Theatre is a nonprofit theater company based in Bethesda, Maryland. History Round House began life in 1970 as “Street ’70”, a program of the Montgomery County Department of Recreation that provided educational outreach in the ...

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

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 west of Downtown Orlando in the western part of Orange County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its population was 46,051 as of 2019. History ...

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

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

, 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 on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 20 ...

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 Theatre ...

* 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 Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

" ''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 newspa ...

*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 2015 plays Comedy plays American plays LGBT-related plays Cross-dressing in literature