A soon-to-be legendary Florida Panhandle drag queen lights up the stage in International City Theatre’s supremely entertaining production of Matthew Lopez’s 2016 off-Broadway comedy smash The Legend Of Georgia McBride.

The legend in the making turns out to be a handsome young entertainer named Casey (Taubert Nadalini), barely making ends meet these days impersonating Elvis at a Panama City dive run by good ol’ boy Eddie (Tom Grudgeon).

Unfortunately for our hip-swiveling hero, business at Cleo’s has gone from bad to worse, just one reason the rent check Casey owes landlord Jason (Donzell Lewis) is once again overdue.

No wonder then that when Eddie informs Casey that he’s being replaced by a couple of drag queens, the news does not sit well with the young hunk, particularly since he’s just been informed by wife Jo (Karese Frizell) that a baby is on the way.

The drag queen in question is Eddie’s cousin “Miss Tracy Mills” (Jeff Sumner), whose arrival in town alongside fellow female impersonator Anorexia “Miss Rexy” Nervosa (Lewis), might just bring in the bucks that Elvis has not, that is if Miss Rexy can say sober long enough to make her Panama City debut.

A passed-out Anorexia soon leaves Miss Tracy and Eddie in a bit of a pickle, that is until they realize that Elvis in spangled white satin isn’t all that far removed from drag, and despite considerable protests, Casey is persuaded to impersonate Edith Piaf for a night.

Not surprisingly, it takes the artist previously known as Elvis a while to get used to padded bra-and-girdle, panties, and heels, and truth be told, his first go at Edith suggests it may be his last.

It won’t, and much of the pleasure in The Legend Of Georgia McBride is in watching Casey discover his feminine side and become a better man in the bargain.

Director-choreographer Jamie Torcellini guarantees audiences the best possible of times with his trademark flair for physical comedy and some inspired song choices for our drag queens to lip-sync to, including a wildly manic Barbra Streisand’s “Gotta Move” and Liza Minnelli giving Bobbie Gentry a run for her money with “Son Of A Preacher Man.”

Sumner makes for the most fabulicious of drag queens as the one and only Miss Tracy Mills and Nadalini is as gosh-darn likable a country boy as he is a wow of a Georgia McBride, the duo’s matching star turns helping to make ICT’s latest its most crowd-pleasing offering since the pre-pandemic The Andrews Brothers, not coincidentally directed and choreographed by the multitalented Torcellini.

Reprising the dual role that earned him a Breakout Performance Scenie, Lewis transforms himself into the sassiest of Miss Rexys and a believably straight landlord, a freshly graduated Frizell reveals budding-star quality as the loving but patience-tried Jo, and Grudgeon is so authentic an Eddie, you might just forget it’s an actor up there and not a bona fide redneck flown in for the show.

Tyler Scrivner’s simple but effective set transitions from Panama City Beach club to the play’s other assorted locales.

Donna Ruzika’s vibrant lighting, Rebecca Kessin’s pitch-perfect sound design, and Patty and Gordon Briles’ multitude of props are all terrific, with best in show awarded to Kimberly DeShazo’s dragolicious costumes and Anthony Gagliardi’s equally fantabulous wigs, each and every one of them an eye-catching treat

Last but not least, associate choreographer Grant Hodges earns bonus point for making up three men with Max Factor to pass for the most glamorous of women.

The Legend of Georgia McBride is produced by caryn desai. Mitch Tharp is associate sound designer. John Freeland, Jr. is production stage manager and Glennis Sposto is assistant stage manager. Casting is by Michael Donovan, CSA, and Richie Ferris, CSA. Lucy Pollak is publicist.

I fell for Georgia McBride when she made her West Coast Debut at the Geffen a few years back, and I love her just as much in 2022. Check out ICT’s all-around fabulous The Legend Of Georgia McBride and you too will stand up and cheer a drag legend being born.

International City Theatre, Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach.
www.InternationalCityTheatre.org

–Steven Stanley
June 12, 2022
Photos: Kayte Deioma

Tags: International City Theatre, Los Angeles Theater Review, Matthew Lopez