Cheers rang through the Wells-Metz Theatre as actors from “The Legend of Georgia McBride” took a bow Wednesday night, with small talk back after the show with the entertainment consultant.
Performed by students from IU’s Department of Theatre, Drama and Contemporary Dance, the play opened Nov. 13 and will run until Nov. 21.
“The Legend of Georgia McBride” originally premiered in 2014 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and tells the story of Casey, a young Elvis Presley impersonator, on a path to discover himself, and make money, through drag.
In a small run-down Florida bar, Casey faces numerous challenges. He’s fired from his Elvis gig and learns he’s going to be evicted from his apartment, all while all while trying to make a good life for his unborn child.
Casey’s success comes in a surprising form when he transforms into Georgia McBride, a country Drag queen that takes inspiration from Elvis and Dolly Parton.
Not only did the audience get the opportunity to witness Casey’s drag transformation, but also Jake Decker’s, the actor that portrays him.
Decker is a junior studying musical theatre and has acted in numerous Theatre Department productions, like last year’s “Legally Blonde.” Decker’s performance in “The Legend of Georgia McBride” was his first experience doing drag for a crowd, and he said that he has learned a lot from this production.
“One thing that I’ve learned throughout this process and discovering Georgia, for me, is learning how to not be afraid of being confident,” Decker said. “As a performer I’m always like, ‘Well if I’m confident and I don’t do well, then that’s kind of embarrassing.’ But it's not, because I’m confident and I’m putting myself out there.”
Kitt St. Clair, a theater performer and drag entertainer from Indianapolis, stepped in to teach the actors about drag performance and help them break down the fourth wall required for a drag performance, which usually includes audience participation.
St. Clair has been doing drag for about four years. Since 2023, they've co-produced The Back Door’s “Beyond the Binary” at The Back Door, a Bloomington queer bar. Additionally, St. Clair was an opening act for Chappell Roan’s Midwest Princess Tour in 2023. St. Clair has a large presence in southern Indiana, performing at Bloomington Pride this past summer and winning Miss Southern Indiana Rising Star in 2022.
Dramaturg Spencer Wilkes Fields invited audience members to stay for a short five-minute talkback with St. Clair, whose official role was entertainment consultant. St. Clair described their challenges and thoughts about teaching the students stage presence, embracing imperfections of performance and audience participation.
“When you’re in drag it’s a little bit different because those audience members, they get to be a part of the performance with you,” St. Clair said. “So, I was a little bit nervous with how the shift in dynamic from there being a wall here to then those audience members being able to break down that wall with the drag artist and become part of that performance.”
St. Clair’s mentorship seemed to pay off for the production, as audience members were in awe of their performances and transformations of the cast.
Murphy Chambers, a freshman studying musical theatre at IU, came to see the show Wednesday night. She said she went because she loves drag, the LGBTQ+ community in Bloomington and her friend is in the show.
“I found the gay community to be such a comfort to me, especially in my younger years now,” Chambers said. “I just find it so comforting to be around people that are so uniquely themselves. I feel like it’s so touching. It’s such a beautiful story.”
“The Legend of Georgia McBride” will continue in the Wells-Metz Theatre until Friday. Tickets are available online or in-person at the box office.
