The Legend of Georgia McBride
Music Theatre of Connecticut
By: Karen Isaacs - Feb 26, 2024
Often, local theaters all seem to produce the same work nearly simultaneously. It’s understandable each has a different audience due to the geographic separation.
The Legend of Georgia McBride is one such play. It is attractive for smaller theaters because the cast is just five people, it is a comedy, and the subject matter is relevant. Matthew Lopez, the playwright, is well-established.
For the critic, this can be a challenge, particularly with a lightweight work. Multiple viewings do not always increase your appreciation of it. It is inevitable that you compare productions or that you walk in with opinions about the value of the work and your feelings about it.
This is the case with the MTC production of this play which runs through Sunday, March 3. In the last few years, it has been presented at TheaterWorks Hartford and Ivoryton Playhouse. Both were good but not outstanding productions.
I left MTC delighted with the production directed by Kevin Connors. Once again, he has shown his skill as a director, as well as utilizing the intimacy of this thrust stage theater to add dimension to the piece.
The Legend of Georgia McBride is about a young man, Casey, with dreams of being an Elvis impersonator. He is performing at a small bar in the Florida panhandle. But he really isn’t very good and his act is not drawing an audience. Plus, he appears both immature and irresponsible, bouncing the rent check multiple times. His wife is at her wits end, particularly when she learns she is pregnant. Casey is fired from his job by the bar owner, Eddie, when his cousin arrives. Miss Tracy Mills is a drag performer who will be performing with her fellow drag queen, Rexy. One night, Casey is bartending, but Rexy passes out and can’t go on. Eddie and Tracy push Casey onto the stage as Edith Piaf.
Can you guess what happens? Casey may not start out as a good drag star, but he soon gets comfortable in heels, make-up, and costumes, lip-syncing to hit songs. The bar starts packing them in. Of course, he hasn’t told his wife about his new career. Don’t worry, all ends well.
Clint Hromsco brings both a naivete and a depth that I haven’t always seen in Casey. Yes, you are annoyed with him, but Hromsco makes you sympathetic to him and his dreams. Scott Mikita, who has had a long Broadway career, plays the dour bar owner who slowly comes out of his shell. The transformation of Eddie from a monotone and monosyllabic MC in shorts to a polished entertainer is delightful.
Much of the success of the show depends on the actor playing Miss Tracy Mills. Russell Saylor is a gem blending compassion, realism, and show business savvy.
One of the unique features of the show is that it is up to the director and the performers to decide which famous women performers and songs are in the drag sequences. Here, Connors and the cast have offered terrific performances. Connors not only directed the numbers but also choreographed them. A topical touch was the Taylor Swift number, complete with a seated Travis Kelce.
The Legend of Georgia McBride is a truly enjoyable entertainment. Visit, MusicTheatreofCT.com.