Golden Girls fans have a chance to see a new episode live in the theatre on Vancouver Island this month.
Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue brings the classic characters into 2024 with an all-male cast.
“It's as if they never went off the air, they kept on going, they’re still having a good time together, living together in Miami,” said Vince Kelley, who plays Blanche in the play. “It’s all the ingredients of the Golden Girls show that you know and love – just kind of mixed up in a different way … completely through a 2024 lens so it’s kind of fun. It’s like seeing old friends after a long time and catching up with what they have got going on.”
The tribute show kicks off with Sophia being out on bail after selling drugs to seniors, while Blanche and Rose launch a dating app for seniors. According to a news release, the show “allows audiences to relive the heartfelt hilarity of these iconic friends, promising an evening filled with laughter and nostalgia.”
The touring show is in its second year and is making its way to Canada for the first time and Kelley said the feedback has been great so far.
“People love the show. It’s so beloved, multi-generational, so we love to be able to give people something new. Even if you have seen every episode 10 times, you have never seen our episode so it is a brand-new story so that’s super fun,” he said. “We have got a lot of great Easter eggs in there for super fans.”
The show is unique because men actors play the role of the Golden Girls. The release noted it is not a drag show, but a tribute show with men playing the role of women.
“The Golden Girls are just such iconic characters, as well as the four women who played these parts, so sometimes it takes a bigger foot to fill such iconic shoes," Kelley said. "Just because of the nature of our show and the humour … it’s a little bit more fun to have a guy in a dress in a big old wig saying some of these ridiculous scenarios that we happen to find ourselves in. It’s just a different way to do things that we chose. I think that you could definitely do a Golden Girls reboot with four women and I would love to see it and I think it would be super fun, but our show is just trying to do something a little different.”
The show will be at the Port Theatre in Nanaimo from Nov. 6-8 and Victoria's McPherson Playhouse on Nov. 9-10. For audiences 18 and older.
