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| The Legend of Georgia McBride | |
| Posted by: BillEadie 01:48 am EDT 10/26/17 | |
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| This Matthew Lopez play, which is catching on in regional productions seems to be a throwback to “gay plays” of yesteryear: nice looking straight guy is taught life lessons (including how to be popular) by a heart-of-gold drag queen with a mouth. Though it’s supposedly semi-autobiographical it seems to work best for straight audiences who want not to feel guilty about enjoying drag (and, truth be told, for gay men who need an excuse to like drag). The give-away: the straight guy finds plenty of excuses to take off his shirt. I’ve admired Mr. Lopez’s previous work. This one seems like cashing in, though it’s certainly an audience pleaser. Bill, in San Diego |
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| Wildly popular here in SE Michigan | |
| Posted by: RonAnnArbor 06:12 pm EDT 10/27/17 | |
| In reply to: The Legend of Georgia McBride - BillEadie 01:48 am EDT 10/26/17 | |
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| There was a wildly popular professional production in SE Michigan last season co-produced by The Ringwald in Ferndale and Theatre Nova in Ann Arbor -- it sold out at both venues for its run. Ringwald is known for its edgier fare and frequently casts drag cast members - perfect in this case. Ann Arbor less so and it still sold out. I'm not sure that it is the "drag" aspect of the show that makes it so popular - though it certainly makes it funnier - it's the over the top humor and a clever situation that makes it likable. Is it a masterpiece, heck no. But right now, its a great little show that makes people laugh without worrying about politics or sports scores. |
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| re: The Legend of Georgia McBride | |
| Posted by: whereismikeyfl 09:56 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: The Legend of Georgia McBride - BillEadie 01:48 am EDT 10/26/17 | |
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| I agree. I loved the musical numbers and the costumes in the production I saw, but the story made no sense.. the characters were two-dimensional..the humor was predictable. The whole point seemed to be to flatter straight audiences for their tolerance. The popularity of this play baffles me. |
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| re: The Legend of Georgia McBride | |
| Posted by: Thom915 11:55 am EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: The Legend of Georgia McBride - BillEadie 01:48 am EDT 10/26/17 | |
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| I find this review to be extremely dismissive of a well written play and i can only assume the production was at fault. (I am aware the leading man took off his shirt to get into his drag in the MCC production but it wasn't the point of the play certainly) | |
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| re: The Legend of Georgia McBride | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 10:15 am EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: The Legend of Georgia McBride - BillEadie 01:48 am EDT 10/26/17 | |
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| I guess I understand your point of view, but I strongly disagree. I loved the play in its Off-Broadway production. So did several friends of mine, and we aren't part of the straight audience :-) | |
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| re: The Legend of Georgia McBride | |
| Posted by: gothamplaygoer 02:33 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: re: The Legend of Georgia McBride - Michael_Portantiere 10:15 am EDT 10/26/17 | |
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| I thought it was a delightful play and am happy to learn that it has "legs." The New York production raised an issue that continues to confuse me. In a case that a role is cast with an actor of a race other than the one we are expecting, when are we supposed to ignore the actor's race and when are we supposed to find it significant? If a north Florida cracker like Casey (a/k/a Georgia McBride) was brave enough to marry an African-American woman, that casts his willingness to assume a drag persona in a new light. I was therefore disappointed when I learned that in an earlier production his wife had been played by a white actor. My point is that it is often hard to know whether a role in a new play has been filled by an actor of color because of or irrespective of that consideration so that the audience knows whether to notice or ignore it. | |
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| re: The Legend of Georgia McBride | |
| Posted by: BillEadie 07:09 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: re: The Legend of Georgia McBride - gothamplaygoer 02:33 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
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| The wife in the San Diego production was played by an African American actor. I didn’t particularly see it as a comment one way or another. She did a fine job. As did the rest of the cast. I count myself in the group of gay men for whom drag is not an attraction, but I found myself having a good time. My comment was about the play, which was a fair amount different from the other two Matthew Lopez plays I’ve seen, “The Whipping Man” and “Somewhere.” The reason I saw it as a throwback is that I’ve observed that, historically, there has been something of a formula for writing plays aimed at gay men and part of the formula was that there would be some male “skin” shown at some point. While the lead took off his shirt multiple times in the San Diego production it was clear that he was not gay nor was doing so explicitly to titillate gay male viewers. I concluded that the play may have been aimed more at a straight audience (and, indeed, the audience at the performance I attended was heavy with women, due to a pre-show “women’s night” promotion). I’m sorry if my comments came off as harsh. I actually liked the show and am glad that it is being produced regionally. Bill, in San Diego |
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| re: The Legend of Georgia McBride | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 04:52 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: re: The Legend of Georgia McBride - gothamplaygoer 02:33 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
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| "My point is that it is often hard to know whether a role in a new play has been filled by an actor of color because of or irrespective of that consideration so that the audience knows whether to notice or ignore it." Agreed, and I don't think it only applies to new plays. I have already read and heard some people wonder if, for example, Joshua Henry will play Billy Bigelow as if the character is actually a black man, or if rather this should be viewed as "color-blind casting." As you noted, it can be very hard to know the intent for sure unless the actor or the director makes a statement about it in interviews. Whenever this issue comes up for discussion, I remember what S. Epatha Merkerson said around the time she did COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA -- that she doesn't like the term "color-blind casting" because, she said, "It makes me feel like I'm not there." |
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| re: The Legend of Georgia McBride | |
| Posted by: gothamplaygoer 05:01 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: re: The Legend of Georgia McBride - Michael_Portantiere 04:52 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
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| I thought it was an extremely interesting example of "reverse" alternative casting when Christine Lahti was cast in the role of Hester in Signature's revival of Fucking A, a role traditionally played by a black actor. It removed race as a source of her oppression and put the emphasis on class instead, giving the play an entirely different slant. I assume the playwright wanted to see how it played with an alternate interpretation. It worked beautifully. | |
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| re: The Legend of Georgia McBride | |
| Posted by: writerkev 03:10 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: re: The Legend of Georgia McBride - gothamplaygoer 02:33 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
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| Why would you ever ignore anything? In the production you saw, there was an element that led you to have a certain interpretation, and in another production it was different. That doesn't mean that element is worth ignoring in the show you saw. It was part of the show you saw. | |
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