Decades before Alton Brown shared Good Eats, Ina Garten became a barefoot contessa or Rachael Ray readied her first 30-minute meal, there was Julia Child. A force in 1960s American television, the legendary chef instructed cooks across the country, all from the comfort of their own homes.
But the small screen sensation wasn’t the first. While her story has captivated audiences ever since, the honor belonged to one of her personal friends: industry icon and fellow culinary pioneer James Beard.
The openly gay chef’s series “I Love to Eat” premiered on NBC in 1946, becoming the first national cooking show in television history in the process. An Oregon native, Beard attended a liberal arts college in Portland until he was “asked to leave” because of his sexuality.
He subsequently studied performance overseas before returning stateside to work in theater, radio and even Hollywood, landing in New York City to further explore an acting career. He found success in food instead, co-founding a catering company and publishing his first cookbook before moving to TV.
While he died in 1985 at 81, Beard’s legacy lives on. Child and other peers established The James Beard Foundation the next year, which still honors exceptional talent and achievement in the field with “the Oscars of the food world.”
His journey also inspired playwright James Still’s one-man show – the aptly titled “I Love to Eat” – playing now through Feb. 27 at freeFall Theatre in St. Petersburg. It stars fan favorite Tampa Bay performer Matthew McGee as Beard, the performer’s first solo show.
“Before Julia Child and long before today’s proliferation of cooking shows, there was James Beard, the first TV chef,” its synopsis reads. “He brought a love for fine cooking (and a sense of humor) to the small screen in 1946 and helped establish an American cuisine based on fresh ingredients.
“Beard went on to become America’s first ‘foodie,’ and the award bearing his name is still the prize most coveted by chefs across the country,” it continues. “Larger than life (literally and metaphorically), American culinary icon James Beard was a complex, entertaining, beloved and frustrating friend and mentor to many.”
Also billed as “a love story with food,” McGee becomes “the face and belly of American gastronomy” to welcome audiences into the chef’s home. He shares recipes, cooking tips, gossip, reenacts moments from his TV show and more.
“This play was originally slated to open our 2020/2021 season,” freeFall Artistic Director Eric Davis says. “freeFall audiences have always loved our selections celebrating the lives of American Masters.”
COVID-19 closures initially delayed the piece, which ultimately found a home this season after concerns grew over the Omicron variant. freeFall was slated to begin another production, one with a large cast and more extensive costs, but the fully vaccinated company opted to focus on the smaller show to ensure the safety of those involved and alleviate economic concerns.
“Eric thought, let’s bring back ‘I Love to Eat,’” McGee explains. “That way, if people felt somewhat nervous about coming back to the theater, it’s very doable with a one-man show, even if the crowd is smaller. Little did we know that people would really grab ahold of it.”
The play opened Jan. 29 to strong reviews. McGee says attendance has only grown, crediting the show’s humor and Beard’s story.
“The play is a fictionalized version of an evening with James Beard in his Greenwich Village apartment,” he says. “It’s you and James Beard talking in his kitchen and it’s really sweet, very funny and super poignant – because in a strange way, the play is about loneliness. I think people can really tap into that these days.”
While McGee plays the show’s sole character, he does interact with others. Beard famously kept his phone number listed and took calls from amateur cooks across the nation who sought his advice.
“A large part of the play is him answering the phone,” McGee says. “People would call him from as far away as Kansas with problems they were having with their meal and he would help them out. Julia Child also calls and it’s all very charming, and a couple of boyfriends call which is another part of the story.”
McGee, who is also openly gay, readily accepted the challenge of playing Beard for that and other reasons. He calls the chef an LGBTQ pioneer, one he’s “kind of melded with in a strange way,” though he admits the 60 pages of dialogue were somewhat daunting at first.
“It’s a lot of material, and you only have a couple of weeks to rehearse until the show opens,” he says. “Luckily I spoke with some actors who have done one-person shows around town that I really look up to. They said, ‘Look, it seems tough, but every day you do it you know it a little bit more … when you’re about to put it on for people, you will know it,’ and it’s kind of amazing. You do.
“When you go on in a one-man show, the lights go up and it’s you until it’s over,” he also laughs. “There’s no one to bail you out. I thought that this would be a unique exercise as an actor, because a lot of times when I’m cast locally, I think people kind of see me as a certain type … this was completely original and new.”
As the entertainment industry works to rebuild, particularly live theater, freeFall has adopted a new directive for the season – to “simply escape awhile.” That’s what the company is helping audiences do with “I Love to Eat.”
“People really laugh and I love to be able to provide that these days,” McGee says. “That’s what makes live theater so special. They come to this show, they really relax and let it out. I thought this was a sweet story about a person people maybe didn’t know a lot about, but it’s turned into a release for a lot of people. It’s been marvelous.”
“I Love to Eat” plays at freeFall Theatre, located at 6099 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg, Wednesdays through Sundays until Feb. 27, excluding Feb. 18. For tickets and more information, including COVID-19 guidelines, call 727-498-5205 and visit freeFallTheatre.com.
