‘Golden Girls’ impersonators step on the gas for a long run at the Broward Center
When you direct a stage parody of the TV series “Golden Girls,” you really have to fill big shoes to cast the roles of iconic stars Beatrice Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty. And those shoes have to be even bigger when the four female leads are played by men, says actor Vince Kelley, who takes on McClanahan’s role as Blanche in “Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue” Tuesday, Sept. 3, through Sunday, Sept. 29, at the Broward Center’s Amaturo Theater.
“They’re so much larger than they are on screen that you have to up the ante when you see them in real life,” says Kelley, who is joined onstage by Ryan Bernier as Dorothy (invented by Arthur on TV), Adam Graber as Rose (White’s character) and Christopher Kamm as Dorothy’s elderly mother Sophia (originally played by Getty). “We could find four women who would do a great job on this show. That’s just not what our troupe set out to do. We’re an LGBTQIA-led and operated troupe. Gay men have so much more authority and permission to say edgier things when they put on little heels and a little wig. And that’s what audiences really love. Those are the best jokes that resonate, when we can show that little bit of risqué, over-the-top comedy. You need a female impersonator who can pull that line off.”
“Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue” has performed in nearly 70 cities since the national tour began Jan. 23, according to Kelley, who helped create and cast the project two and a half years ago for Michigan-based production company Murray & Peter Present. Kelley, 38, says it debuted “the same year” as “The Golden Girls” television series. “We both came out in 1985.” The television series, created by writer-producer Susan Harris, ran for seven seasons on NBC. “Golden Girls” is now available in syndication, on home video and on Disney streaming platforms Hulu and Disney+.
“We like to say they’re Disney princesses now,” jokes Kelley.
The stage show “Golden Girls: The Laughs Continues” is a modern parody of the original series. “The parody laws allow you a little bit of freedom when you’re doing a parody. We have some trademark rights to the name and stuff – ‘Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue’ – so we can make sure all our T’s are crossed and all our I’s are dotted. But the parody law gives you a lot of freedom. Thank God.”
The Fort Lauderdale run is the longest of the tour, lasting about a month, and Kelley is confident the 90-minute show, with one intermission, will be well received at the 584-seat Broward Center’s Amaturo during 32 performances.
“When I do press for Mobile, Alabama, some people may not have seen ‘Golden Girls.’ And I say come and have fun. You don’t have to know ‘Golden Girls.’ It’s not like the Marvel Cinematic Universe where you have to see all the movies,” Kelley says. “But I think Fort Lauderdale is a little different. Everyone knows ‘Golden Girls’ in Fort Lauderdale. Even if you’ve seen every episode 100 times, you’ve never seen this episode. It’s like the lost episode. Or the sequel or something.”
When they developed the parody, the creators were fully aware of the growing culture war backlash against drag performers in Florida and elsewhere in conservative America. A Florida law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on May 17, 2023, banned children from attending “live adult performances” that “indecently display prosthetic or imitation genitalia or breasts.” A month later, a federal district judge in Orlando blocked the law, arguing it could violate the state’s First Amendment right of speech. In November 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to step in and reinstate the law. Just to make sure there are no legal consequences in Florida and elsewhere, Kelley says no one under 18 will be allowed to attend “Golden Girls: The Laughter Continues.”
“It’s more about the language, not necessarily the female impersonation,” Kelley says, adding that he and his colleagues welcome the age restriction. “I don’t want to be caught saying something inappropriate in front of a child and then suddenly it’s on Fox News. I don’t want that. Our production company doesn’t want that.”
The popularity of “Golden Girls” goes a long way in making some viewers feel more comfortable. “‘Golden Girls’ can be the icing on the cake that convinces someone who might be thinking, ‘Ugh, female impersonation isn’t for me. I don’t like that, but I like ‘Golden Girls.’ So I guess I’ll watch it.'”
The original series “was always at the forefront” when it came to representation, he says, giving some examples: “Sophia’s son Phil was a cross-dresser and they talked about it several times on the show. Blanche’s brother was gay. There was an episode where an old school friend of Dorothy’s, a lesbian, falls in love with Rose and they have to deal with that. That was always done so lovingly, never to make fun of, but to address the issue,” Kelley says.
In addition, the stars of the original series were popular in the LGBTQ community.
Bea Arthur (also known as “Maude” on TV) died in 2009 at age 86 and left $300,000 to the Ali Forney Center for homeless LGBTQ youth in New York City. Betty White, who previously starred as Sue Ann Nivens on the 1970s “Mary Tyler Moore Show,” supported the Elton John AIDS Foundation and several other LGBTQ organizations, according to a gay magazine. The lawyerWhite died in 2021, weeks before her 100th birthday.
Rue McClanahan, a co-star on “Maude” and “Mama’s Family,” who died in 2010 at age 76, was a frequent attendee at gay pride celebrations and LGBTQ fundraisers. Estelle Getty later rose to fame when she played his character’s mother, Mrs. Beckoff, alongside Harvey Fierstein in the original cast of “Torch Song Trilogy.” She was an LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS activist and died in 2008 at age 84.
“The original actresses were just perfect for those roles,” says Norman Extract of Oakland Park, who runs the 1,200-member Facebook group “Fort Lauderdale LGBTQ Social Meetup. For Singles & Couples.” Extract, 65, is planning a group theater outing for 30 people to see “Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue” on Friday, Sept. 13. The original series about four older women sharing a Miami home is popular with many gay men who grew up with it, he says. “That’s how I grew up, especially if you’re Jewish. What’s interesting is that none of those characters were Jewish. But in my generation, coming from New York, all the grandchildren came to Florida to visit their grandparents. Their grandparents’ way of life was very similar to those women’s, with the early bird specials and the old hairdresser. It’s just relatable in every way.”
The characters Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia have always resonated with the LGBTQ community. “They don’t fit in, but they do, and it’s a little like the gay community, especially years ago,” Extract says. “And in a way, they’re a bunch of drag queens, even though they were women.” Extract also believes the show will be a local hit. “They’re not just going to appeal to the gay community. A lot of straight people love them too.”
“Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue” runs September 3 through Sunday, September 29, at the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW 5th Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are available by calling 954-462-0222 or visiting browardcenter.org or goldengirlstour.com.
This story was produced by the Broward Arts Journalism Alliance (BAJA), an independent journalism program of the Broward County Cultural Division. Visit ArtsCalendar.com for more stories about the arts in South Florida.
