Hannah McGinley Lemasters is having a ball playing Dolley onstage — not famed matchmaker Dolly Levi of the beloved musical, but Dolley Madison who served as first lady of the United States for husband James from 1809-1817.
Read more Little ways to say happy birthday, USA, at Orlando attractions
Come to think of it, Dolly and Dolley have a lot in common with their optimism, patriotic ideals and ability to manage any situation with quick wit and down-home wisdom.
“I can’t turn a duck into a goose, nor would I deign to try,” says Lemasters, quoting one of her favorite lines as the titular star of “Dolly. F***ing. Madison.”
The homegrown comedy from Orlando’s New Generation Theatrical was a huge hit at the recent Orlando Fringe Festival, garnering critical acclaim and taking home the Critics’ Choice Award for best comedy play of the fest. Just in time for the nation’s milestone 250th birthday, the show returns for two performances July 3 and 5.
The story of Dolley Madison — saving the treasured portrait of George Washington for the nation while British soldiers advanced on the capital during the War of 1812 — is well-known, if not entirely accurate as usually told.
But it inspired playwright Michael Knight, who is known for highly regarded comedies such as “The Fabulous King James Bible,” which finds humor in looking at faith and sexuality, and ““The Foreplay: An Exploration of the Birth of Our Nation,” which is a madcap take on the creation of the Bill of the Rights.
Like “Dolley,” the other plays use historical fact, piercing insight and raucous comedy to shine a light on contemporary issues.
“Michael is so interested in all sorts of history, especially early America,” says Lemasters, a longtime friend and creative collaborator. The two started pondering a play about Dolley through “lots of random conversations,” Lemasters says, as they wondered, “Wouldn’t it be funny if there was a show about her trying to stall the soldiers?”
And, as far as Knight was concerned, he had his Dolley already. She was Southern, smart, gracious and the type of hostess who threw fabulous parties that made everyone feel welcome and comfortable — even those from opposing ends of the political spectrum. That’s how he saw Lemasters, who hails from Tennessee.
“I think there’s nobody better for this,” says the playwright-director. “Hannah is incredibly personable and charming. She’s a consummate host. She runs a room.”
And that’s what Dolley does for the length of Knight’s one-act play.
In reality, Dolley Madison didn’t come face to face with British soldiers. She remained in the White House until she knew the Washington portrait was secured and then she left with other city residents before the British set the city alight. She also didn’t save the painting herself; her Black teenage slave Paul Jennings and others did at her direction.
So Knight has taken some dramatic liberties — Paul Jennings is replaced by a woman, who is also confidante to Dolley — but those liberties pay off, as Dolley and friend hold two British soldiers of very different temperament at bay.
All the while, Dolley is teaching the Brits about the principles of democracy — an uplifting reminder of the ideals that form the foundation of our country.
“In the times we live in right now, letting people think about those ideals while they’re laughing is cathartic,” Knight says.
Meanwhile, His Majesty’s soldiers point out the potential problems with democracy, many of which can be observed today.
“In order for people to listen, you have to tell the truth from both sides,” Knight says. “Then they can apply it however they want.”
Some of the moments in the show resonate particularly strongly in the present. President James Monroe had his reasons for declaring war against Great Britain in 1812 but they were not universally accepted.
“There’s a line, ‘Just because a president starts a war doesn’t mean the American people agree with him,’” Lemasters says. “That gets a reaction from audiences.”
Read more Look inside Walt Disney’s private plane after complete restoration
But the show is pro-democracy, not partisan. During its Orlando Fringe Festival run, “nobody responded politically, I got a lot of thank-you’s,” Knight says. “I feel like a lot of people heard their thoughts reflected.”
Lemasters agrees that the audience response is not based on political parties.
Blue Bamboo celebrates 10 years — with music, of course
“I think everyone is fed up with how the current system is,” she says. “This show reminds us that the plans were laid so well by the founding fathers: ‘Here’s why we think democracy is important.’ And democracy is still wonderful and important — if it’s done like democracy.”
The play also looks at how democracy was not envisioned for everyone at first, and shines a light on the treatment of women. At one point, Dolley is defending the idea of voting more than a century before women’s suffrage.
Lemasters bristles at the barriers that still arise because of gender-based perceptions.
“It’s crazy that people are scared to vote for a woman, thinking she will somehow be less-equipped to do the job than a man would be,” she says. “There are women who won’t vote for other women because they don’t think they can do it. It’s absolutely bonkers.”
Hair, survival, motherhood: Female artists show their strength
And she’s delighted to give Dolley, considered a pioneer of bipartisanship, a voice to show off her considerable political skills.
“She was not as brash as we have presented her for this story, I’m sure,” Lemasters says. “But I’ll bet there were times she was. She did not mince words.”
Knight has given Dolley a lot of words — “a lot of words,” Lemasters emphasizes with a laugh — but none of them is defeatist or downbeat.
That was deliberate, Knight says, because the play is meant to be a celebration of what the United States stands for.
“Let’s not make this cynical,” he says of his guiding philosophy when writing the script. “Let’s make this play truly about the ideals of the nation. Let’s make it a hopeful look at what this nation set out to be.”
That uplifting attitude is one of the things Lemasters loves about the play and the role.
“Dolley, at the end of the show, has hope,” she says. “We Americans are also hopeful, I think, that things will change.”
She credits Knight for deftly mixing comedy, patriotism and optimism in a non-preachy, non-partisan way.
“The British are saying, ‘Why do you think this country matters?’” Lemasters says. “And for him to talk about why our country matters through Dolley is lovely.”
Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at [email protected]. Find more entertainment news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/entertainment or sign up to receive our weekly emailed Entertainment newsletter.
‘Dolley. F***ing. Madison’
• Where: New Generation Theatrical at Orlando Fashion Square, 3201 E. Colonial Drive in Orlando (more specific instructions for parking and finding the space are at the website)
Read more After failing to make ballot, St. Cloud lawmaker files lawsuit
• When: 8 p.m. July 3 & 5
• Cost: $20
• Info: newgentheatrical.org