The Judy Monologues is a one-act play based entirely upon rare voice tapes recorded by Judy Garland in the years leading up to the gay icon's death in 1969 at age 47 from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.
Conceived and directed by Darren Stewart-Jones, the production features vintage film clips of Garland from her Hollywood heyday. The Judy Monologues premiered at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre in Toronto, Ontario in September of 2010 and subsequently played The Pearl Company in Hamilton, Ontario. Performed by three male actors as a tribute to Garland's influence on the gay community, the original cast included Philip Cairns, Ryan Fisher and Darren Stewart-Jones. Nigel Gough (1982–2010) was the understudy.
An abridged version of the play was performed in London, Ontario as part of the London One Act Festival in April, 2011. Philip Cairns won Best Actor at the festival's awards ceremony. The play also received two additional awards - special mentions for the concept and the audio/visual content.
The Judy Monologues enjoyed a successful run at the 2012 Toronto Fringe Festival with newest cast member Michael Hughes, whose own show, Mickey & Judy, was awarded Best of Toronto Fringe 2011.
Elley-Ray Hennessy performed the role of Garland to rave reviews in a re-vamped, one woman version of the show at the 2013 Hamilton Fringe Festival.
The script for The Judy Monologues is available online as an eBook.
Our review in Toronto's NOW Magazine...
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