Hannah McGinley LeMasters plays Dolly on stage and has a ball. This is not Dolly Levi, the famous matchmaker from the popular musical, but Dollie Madison, who served as First Lady of the United States to her husband James from 1809 to 1817.
When you think about it, Dolly and Dolly have a lot in common in terms of optimism, patriotic ideals, and the ability to handle any situation with resourcefulness and homely wisdom.
“I can’t turn a duck into a goose, and I’m not going to try,” LeMasters says, quoting her favorite line as the lead actress in “Dolly, Fuck, Madison.”
Orlando’s New Generation Theater’s homegrown comedy was a huge hit at the recent Orlando Fringe Festival, garnering critical acclaim and winning the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Comedy at the festival. The show will return for two performances on July 3 and 5, just in time for the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The story of Dolley Madison, who saved George Washington’s treasured portrait for the nation while British soldiers marched on the nation’s capital during the War of 1812, is well known, if not entirely accurate as it is usually told.
But it also inspired playwright Michael Knight, known for acclaimed comedies such as The Fabulous King James Bible, which finds humor in faith and sexuality, and The Foreplay: An Exploration of the Birth of Our Nation, which takes an outlandish take on the creation of a Bill of Rights.
Like “Dolly,” the other plays use historical facts, sharp insights and uproarious comedy to shed light on contemporary issues.
“Michael is very interested in all kinds of history, especially early America,” says LeMasters, a longtime friend and creative collaborator. According to LeMasters, the two began contemplating a play about Dory through “a lot of random conversations” and wondered, “Wouldn’t it be fun to have a show where she tries to stall soldiers?”
And as far as Knight was concerned, he already had Dolly. She was Southern, smart, polite, and the type of hostess who threw great parties where everyone felt welcome and comfortable, even people on the opposite side of the political spectrum. That’s how he viewed LeMasters, a Tennessee native.
“I don’t think there’s anyone better suited,” says the playwright and director. “Hannah is incredibly personable and charming. She’s the perfect host. She runs the room.”
And that’s what Dolly does for the length of Knight’s one-act play.
In reality, Dolley Madison never faced British soldiers. She remained at the White House until she learned that Washington’s portrait had been secured, then left with other city residents before British troops set the city on fire. She herself did not save the painting either. Her black teenage slave Paul Jennings and others did so on her instructions.
So Knight took the dramatic liberty of replacing Paul Jennings with a woman who was also Dolly’s best friend, a freedom that paid off as Dolly and her friend held off two British soldiers with very different temperaments.
All the while, Dolly teaches Britons about the principles of democracy, the uplifting ideals that form the foundations of our country.
“In the times we live in, it’s cathartic to make people laugh and think about their ideals,” Knight says.
Meanwhile, Her Majesty’s Soldiers pointed out potential problems with democracy, many of which can still be observed today.
“To get people to listen, you have to tell the truth from both sides,” Knight said. “Then they can apply it however they want.”
Some moments in the show resonate particularly strongly in the present. President James Monroe had good reasons for declaring war on Britain in 1812, but it was not widely accepted.
“There’s a line that goes, ‘Just because the president started a war doesn’t mean the American people agree with him,'” LeMasters says. “It creates a reaction from the audience.”
However, this program is pro-democracy and not partisan. During the Orlando Fringe Festival, Knight said, “No one responded politically, but I got a lot of thank yous.” “I feel like I heard a lot of people echoing their thoughts.”
LeMasters agrees that audience reactions are not based on political party.
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“I think everyone is fed up with the way the system is right now,” she says. “This show reminds us that that plan was very well laid out by the founding fathers: ‘Here’s why we think democracy is important.'” And if it’s done like a democracy, democracy is still great and important. ”
The play also examines how democracy was not initially intended for everyone and sheds light on the treatment of women. At one point, Dolly defends the idea of voting more than a century before women’s suffrage.
LeMasters fiercely confronts the barriers that still arise due to gender-based perceptions.
“It’s funny that people are afraid to vote for women because they think women are less capable of doing the job than men,” she says. “There are women who won’t vote for other women because they think they can’t vote. That’s completely ridiculous.”
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And she’s happy to give Dolly, who is considered a pioneer of bipartisanship, a voice to show off her political prowess.
“I don’t think she was as sassy as we made her out to be in this article,” LeMasters says. “But I’m sure she had those moments. She didn’t mince words.”
Knight had many words for Dolly — “A lot of words,” LeMasters emphasizes with a laugh — but none of them were defeatist or dejected.
Knight said this was intentional, as the play was meant to celebrate what America stands for.
“Let’s not be cynical about this,” he says of the philosophy that guides him when writing screenplays. “Let’s make this play really about the ideals of our nation. Let’s make it hopeful about what this country aspires to be.”
That uplifting demeanor is one of LeMasters’ favorite things about the play and the role.
“Dolly has hope at the end of the show,” she says. “I think we as Americans are also hopeful that things will change.”
She credits Knight with skillfully mixing comedy, patriotism, and optimism without being preachy or partisan.
“The British are saying, ‘Why do you think this country is important?'” LeMasters says. “And it’s great that he speaks through Dolly about why our country is important.”
Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. See more entertainment news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/entertainment or sign up to receive our weekly entertainment newsletter delivered to your email.
“Dolly. Shit. Madison.
• Location: New Generation Theater at Orlando Fashion Square (3201 Colonial Drive E., Orlando) (See website for details on parking and finding a space)
• When: July 3rd and 5th at 8 p.m.
• Price: $20
• Information: newgentheatrical.org
