FST Presents The Legend of Georgia McBride

March 16, 2022 – Sarasota

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) proudly presents The Legend of Georgia McBride, a heartfelt, music-filled play by Tony Award-winning playwright Matthew Lopez. Called “A stitch-in-your-side funny new comedy” by The New York Times and “Incredibly entertaining” by BroadwayWorld, The Legend of Georgia McBride is a regional theatre favorite that celebrates making oneself heard, individuality, and self-expression. The Legend of Georgia McBride will run in FST’s Gompertz Theatre starting Wednesday, April 6. Single tickets are now on sale at 941.366.9000 or floridastudiotheatre.org. 

“It doesn’t get more fun than a broken-down Elvis Impersonator, a run-down bar, and a hit drag show—all combined!” said Kate Alexander, the show’s Director. “Georgia McBride is the story of the American Dream in a flamboyant gilded coach.”

The Legend of Georgia McBride tells the story of Casey, a young Elvis impersonator struggling to make ends meet—he can’t pay his rent, and he just found out that his wife, Jo, is pregnant. Casey’s situation becomes more desperate when he is fired from his job performing at a small-town Florida dive bar. Eddie, the bar owner, brings in Miss Tracy Mills and her B-level drag show to replace Casey’s Elvis act in hopes that it will revive his struggling business. When Miss Mills’ co-star, Rexy, is unable to perform at the last minute, Casey steps in, and realizes he has a lot to learn about show business—and himself.

“The Legend of Georgia McBride is an insightful comedy that helps us better understand the world we live in,” said Richard Hopkins, FST’s Producing Artistic Director. “The play is about accepting ‘The Other.’ There is a great joy in meeting and learning about people who are different.”

Playwright Matthew Lopez first envisioned the play when he heard a playlist that was created for a friend’s boyfriend who was exploring the art of drag. “I was attracted to the notion of a straight man exploring drag,” said Lopez in an interview with Los Angeles Blade. “That’s where I got the idea of telling the story of this down-on-his-luck straight guy who is an aspiring Elvis impersonator, who has definitely got performing in his blood, but who is not yet fully actualized as an artist or a person.”  

Bringing this quirky comedy to life are Britt Michael Gordon (FST Debut), Eric Hoffman(The God of Isaac, Butler), Stanley Martin (FST Debut), Kraig Swartz (FST Debut), and Tatiana Williams (FST Debut).  

Gordon played Casey in Vermont Stage’s production of The Legend of Georgia McBride and has performed at other regional theatres across the country, including Actors Playhouse, Savannah Repertory Theatre, and American Stage. 

“Georgia McBride is ultimately about family and identity,” said Gordon. “It’s also about how a person’s perceptions of gender influence their understanding of these ideas. The people in Casey’s life challenge his long-held beliefs about these notions, and by the end of the play, he learns that being a good partner to the people he loves has to do with being honest, dependable, and vulnerable.”

The Legend of Georgia McBride marks Hoffman’s fourth production at FST, in which he plays Eddie, a Florida bar owner whose business starts to boom after he hires his cousin, Miss Tracy Mills. Martin plays Rexy, a drag queen who craves attention, as well as Casey and Jo’s landlord, Jason. Martin was part of the original Broadway cast of Aladdin and performed in the international tour of West Side Story. 

Swartz played Miss Tracy Mills in Marin Theatre Company’s 2017 production of Georgia McBride and has been featured in the Off-Broadway productions of A Picture of Autumn, The Voysey Inheritance, Jungle Book, and So Help Me God. Williams—who plays Casey’s wife Jo—most recently performed in White Noise by Suzan-Lori Parks at Studio Theatre in Washington, DC.

The Legend of Georgia McBride was originally scheduled to bring FST’s 2019-2020 Winter Mainstage Series to a close but was cancelled in mid-March of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The world changed so markedly with COVID, and this play will forever be the emblem of that change for me,” explained Kate Alexander. “We were in rehearsals for only one week! When it was announced that the theatre had to be shuttered and the actors had to go home, it was devasting news for the cast and crew. Coming back to this play is incredibly meaningful to me.”