Monét changes everything!
RuPaul’s Drag Race fans, start saving your coins. All Stars 4 winner Monét X Change is going across the pond to play Miss Tracy Mills in a new West End production of The Legend of Georgia McBride — an original play by Matthew López. The story follows Casey, a broke Elvis impersonator in Florida who loses bookings to a drag performer.
“Hello, London! It’s me, Monét X Change, winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season 4 and victim on The Traitors, but that’s neither here nor there,” Monét said in a video. “Listen! I’m so excited to let y’all know that I am making my West End debut in the UK premiere of The Legend of Georgia McBride. Yes! By Tony Award- and Olivier Award-winning playwright Matthew López at the @sohoplace.”
The Drag Race legendary legend added, “Baby, tickets are on sale now, so you need to go get these tickets to come see me in the play. I’m so excited to be living in London. It’s going to be so fierce, and I cannot wait to see you all there.”
Tony nominee Stevie Walker-Webb, director of Ain’t No Mo’, is staging the West End production playing at @sohoplace between February 2 and May 15, 2027.
Matthew López, who originated The Legend of Georgia McBride, won Tony Awards and Laurence Olivier Awards for writing The Inheritance.
“I’m delighted to return to the West End next year and share this play with London audiences,” López wrote in a statement reported by Broadway World. “I’m especially excited to be working with Monét and Stevie, whose combined talents could power a midsize city.”
López is also known for directing and co-writing Prime Video’s live-action adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s queer rom-com novel Red, White & Royal Blue. (A sequel film, Red, White & Royal Wedding, is in the works.)
What is The Legend of Georgia McBride about?
The Legend of Georgia McBride centers on Casey, a young married Elvis Presley impersonator who’s barely getting by performing at a run-down bar named Cleo’s in Panama City, FL.
The gag gets even gaggier when Casey’s wife, Jo, reveals she’s pregnant. The owner of Cleo’s then fires Casey to hire a drag performer in his place, too.
Mild Spoilers
The plot twists even further when Miss Tracy Mills finds herself without her usual onstage partner. Casey steps in to help and gets a crash course in all things drag eleganza extravaganza: makeup, costumes, heels, and lip syncing.
Casey’s first number as French singer Édith Piaf doesn’t go smoothly, but Casey finds something magical about the art form of drag nonetheless. Namely, rather than impersonating an existing person like Elvis Presley, drag lets him create a new character and persona of his own.
With Tracy’s guidance, Casey embodies a drag queen named Georgia McBride… and, well, a star is born.
Is The Legend of Georgia McBride a musical?
No, The Legend of Georgia McBride isn’t an official musical, but it does include musical numbers. Instead of live-singing original music, the characters lip sync to existing songs. A drag tradition, after all!
Confused about the difference? This scene in Theater Camp offers a spot-on and hilarious explanation.
It’s worth noting that specific songs can change from one production to another. As of this announcement, no songs have been confirmed yet for the new West End production.
What inspired Matthew López to write The Legend of Georgia McBride?
López wrote The Legend of Georgia McBride from personal experience growing up gay in Panama City, Florida. The straight man-turned-queen motif came from a playlist named “Persona.” The writer-director explained:
“The legend of this playlist has it that — and I’ve never met the people in question — the roommate of a friend had created this playlist for her boyfriend, who was beginning to explore drag as a performance outlet…It was filled with country-western female vocalists: Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn and Brenda Lee and other fun stuff. Interspersed with those were covers of Elvis Presley songs and songs about Elvis by female vocalists.”
Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton are as drag as it gets in mainstream pop culture, so this totally tracks.
Monét X Change plays Miss Tracy Mills.
As Miss Tracy Mills, Monét plays a seasoned drag performer booked to save a decaying bar and who ultimately becomes Casey’s drag mother.
Monét is best known for her trifecta track record across Drag Race seasons: crowned Miss Congeniality in season 10 of the flagship series, crowned winner of All Stars 4 (in an iconic “twinning” moment alongside Trinity the Tuck), and a star-studded runner-up placement on All Stars 7, the all-winners season of Drag Race.
Beyond Mama Ru’s werk room, Monét has a degree in opera performance and played the Duchess of Krakenthorp in Minnesota Opera’s The Daughter of the Regiment in 2023. She co-hosts the Sibling Rivalry podcast with Bob the Drag Queen and has her own talk show on YouTube, Monét Talks.
Additional film and TV credits include Stop! That! Train!, Dimension 20, The Traitors, Showmance, Survival of the Thickest, and Glamorous, among others.
MoNation, your time has come to make some noise.
Instagram: @monetxchange
Who are the other characters in ‘The Legend of Georgia McBride’?
As of this writing, the roles of Casey, Jo, Rexy, and Eddie are all still to be cast. Monét is the only cast member announced for London.
Jo, Casey’s pregnant wife, is increasingly worried about their financial situation. Most of the comedy's dramatic work happens between Casey and Jo. Eddie owns Cleo’s, and his decision to book Miss Tracy Mills kicks off the story.
The original 2014 production of The Legend of Georgia McBride premiered at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. In 2015, the play had an expanded New York production that’s licensed through Concord Theatricals.
Audiences can now experience The Legend of Georgia McBride for the first time, or perhaps revisit it with an all-new cast. Either way, get ready to soak up the many talents of Monét X Change and the brilliant work of Matthew López.
The Legend of Georgia McBride premieres February 2, 2027 at @sohoplace. For more information, visit georgiamcbrideplay.com and follow the Instagram page: @thelegendofgeorgiamcbride.
