KINKY BOOTS' Joey Taranto Leads THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE, Starting Tonight at Dorset Theatre Festival

Dorset Theatre Festival continues its 40th Anniversary Season with the Regional Premiere of The Legend of Georgia McBride by Matthew Lopez.

The Legend of Georgia McBride, under the direction of Stephen Brackett (Buyer & Cellar National Tour, Ultimate Beauty Bible at Page 73), runs for 16 performances between tonight, August 3, through August 19, 2017. All performances take place at the Dorset Playhouse, 104 Cheney Road, Dorset.

In The Legend of Georgia McBride, Casey is young, broke, and his wife is having a baby when he loses his gig as an Elvis impersonator. But when his club brings in a drag act led by Miss Tracy Mills, Casey is given the opportunity to trade one sequined outfit for another. A critic's pick wherever it plays, this heart-warming, music-filled comedy celebrates finding your own voice and singing your own song.

Joey Taranto (Kinky Boots Original Broadway Cast) leads the cast as Elvis-impersonator-turned-drag-queen Casey. David Turner (Broadway's Sunday in the Park with George), last seen onstage at Dorset Theatre Festival in 2016's The Way of the World, will portray the ferociously funny Miss Tracy Mills.

"Dorset Theatre Festival has long admired Matthew Lopez's immense playwriting talent," says Artistic Director Dina Janis. "Back in 2013, Matthew's play The Whipping Man was the first show I directed at Dorset Theatre Festival, and we're proud to now mount the regional premiere of The Legend of Georgia McBride. It's a totally different sort of show-a comedy that will have audiences singing along to some excellent music and rolling in the aisles with laughter-but what will resonate most is Matthew's same honest dialogue and authentic characters."

The cast of The Legend of Georgia McBride also includes Denny Dale Bess (Year of the Rooster at Ensemble Studio Theatre) as Eddie, the club manager; Vasthy Mompoint (Broadway's Mary Poppins) as Jo, Casey's wife; and Jon Norman Schneider (Awake and Sing! at The Public) as Rexy/Jason, Miss Tracy Mills' counterpart and Casey and Jo's landlord, respectively.

The creative team includes Lee Savage (Scenic Design), Bobby Frederick Tilley (Costume Design), Zach Blane (Lighting Design), Ryan Rumery (Sound Design), Patrick McCollum (Choreography) and Will Rucker (Stage Management).

Matthew Lopez is the author of The Whipping Man, one of the most widely produced new American plays of the last several years. The play premiered at Luna Stage in Montclair, NJ and debuted in New York at Manhattan Theatre Club. That production was directed by Doug Hughes and starred Andre Braugher. The sold-out production extended four times, ultimately running 101 performances off-Broadway and garnering Obie and Lucille Lortel Awards. Matthew was awarded the John Gassner New Play Award from The New York Outer Critics Circle for the play. Since then, it has been received over 40 productions worldwide. His play Somewhere has been produced at The Old Globe, TheatreWorks in Palo Alto and most recently at Hartford Stage Company, where his play Reverberation received its world premiere in 2015. His newest play, The Legend of Georgia McBride, premiered at the Denver Theatre Center for the Performing Arts. His play The Sentinels premiered in London at Headlong Theatre Company in 2011. Matthew currently holds new play commissions from Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Hartford Stage, and South Coast Rep. Matthew was a staff writer on HBO's "The Newsroom" and is currently adapting Javier Marias' trilogy "Your Face Tomorrow" for the screen.

As a supplement to Dorset Theatre Festival's production of The Legend of Georgia McBride, audiences are also invited to a pre-show discussion on the history of drag and Elvis impersonation at 6pm on Thursday, August 10 in the Playhouse Café.

Dorset Theatre Festival, sponsored for its 40th season by Manchester Designer Outlets, creates bold and innovative theatre that engages a diverse, multi-generational community: enlightening, entertaining, and inspiring its audience through the celebration of great plays produced with the highest degree of artistry.

Dorset Theatre Festival's 2017 mainstage summer season includes Downstairs by Theresa Rebeck, running June 22-July 8; Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, running July 13-29; The Legend of Georgia McBride by Matthew Lopez, running August 3-19; and American Buffalo by David Mamet, running August 24-September 2. All performances take place at the Dorset Playhouse, 104 Cheney Road, Dorset, VT.

Single tickets and subscriptions for the 2017 Summer Season are on sale. The box office may be reached by calling (802) 867-2223 ex. 2 Tuesday through Saturday 12-6pm (8pm on performance days). For more information, or to purchase tickets and subscriptions online, visit Dorset Theatre Festival's website at dorsettheatrefestival.org.

Pictured: The Legend of Georgia McBride cast: David Turner, Joey Taranto, Vasthy Mompoint, Denny Dale Bess, Jon Norman Schneider