Friends of George’s Evergreen Theatre

Halloween 1969, Memphis had its first drag show at what is now the Evergreen Theatre. At the time, dressing in clothing of the opposite sex was illegal, but on Halloween, you could get away with dressing however you wanted. So on that night, no one was attacked or arrested for participating in or attending the drag show — a fact that emboldened the Memphis LGBTQ+ community to continue putting on drag shows even with the threat of raids. That same year, George Wilson purchased his bar, where drag shows began happening regularly and continued until it closed in 1990.

Often referred to as Queen Mother of Memphis Gay Bars and the Showplace of the South, George’s was a staple in the LGBTQ+ community, so in 2010 to honor the 20th anniversary of its closure, a group of former patrons and performers put together a reunion show in true George’s style and tradition. More than 1,800 guests attended, and the group, known as Friends of George’s, became energized, says board member Ty Phillips. “We had no real immediate plans to continue, but we all felt the strong sense that we should continue producing events, and so we continued doing that and ultimately branded ourselves into more of a theater company.”

Now, after a pandemic-related hiatus, the group is bringing back its annual Dragnificent Variety Show, this time with a twang. “In the past we’ve done themes like decades,” says Phillips. “This year we’ve gone country with The Gay Ole Opry. … It’s a combination of drag performances, production numbers, and original skits that we’ve written and produced. We’ve got a game show, some running gags. A lot of it is rooted in Hee Haw humor if you remember that show from back in the day.”

The show, taking place at the LGBTQ+ landmark Evergreen Theatre, will run July 29th-31st and August 4th-6th. Ticket sales for The Gay Ole Opry will benefit CHOICES – Memphis Center for Reproductive Health. Tickets can be purchased at friendsofgeorges.org/gay-ole-opry.

The Dragnificent Variety Show: The Gay Ole Opry, The Evergreen Theatre, July 29-31 and August 4-6, $27.

What happens when a cast of drag queens accidentally ends up on a senior citizen cruise? That will all be revealed in The Drag Boat, the fourth in the series of George’s Truck Stop and Drag Bar plays performed at Evergreen Theatre.

The original production, being put on by Friends of George’s, opens on July 29th and runs two weekends.

The play’s protagonist, Maybelline (played by Bill Zachery), wins a free cruise through a fruitcake contest at her local Piggly Wiggly. But when she and her family and friends board the ship, they realize they’re surrounded by old folks.

Kevin Reed Photography

Iris Lefleur

“It’s a loose take on the TV show, The Love Boat,” says Ty Phillips, a scriptwriter and board member for Friends of George’s. “It’s not a parody of the show, but it’s loosely based on it. If you’re a fan of the campy old show, then this would be a fun show to watch.”

In The Drag Boat‘s prequels, George’s Truck Stop and Drag Bar 1 & 2, the crew of queens from the burned-down Krankshaft drag bar take refuge in George’s Truck Stop, where they entertain the redneck patrons in the seedy diner. The third in the series — Dragnificent — was a variety show featuring the same cast of characters.

Friends of George’s was originally formed in 2010 to organize a reunion of former patrons of the long-defunct George’s, one of the city’s oldest and most-beloved gay bars. After the successful reunion, the group became a resident theater company with TheatreWorks at Evergreen.

“A lot of our audience members used to attend George’s Disco in the late-’60s and ’70s,” Phillips says. “It was like the community center of that time, and they were known for their very elaborate stage shows. They rehearsed. It was wasn’t like people just showed up and got on stage, so we try to bring that level of quality to our productions, too. We take a more theatrical approach to doing drag shows.”

Each production benefits a local LGBTQ nonprofit. Proceeds from The Drag Boat will go to the Tennessee Equality Project.