Who isn’t a fan of the show “The Golden Girls?” The hit 80s show starring the late Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty, and the beloved everlasting Betty White has attracted fans and a following spanning generations.
Now, there is a fresh spin on the show and a new way to experience the characters Dorothy, Rose, Sofia and Blanche.
Kansas City’s Late Night Theatre is bringing back an all-new version of the fantastic geriatric classic called “Golden! Girls Gone Wild!! Part 2” to Tybee Island in another comical drag parody of the remarkable television show. Part 1 was a hit and tickets for this show are going fast as well.
“I think the one thing Late Night Theatre does in performing shows, is that we put a ton of heart in them. We believe in the material, and have a deep appreciation for high -camp theater,” said Ron Megee the artistic director of Late Night Theatre.
The theater group has been performing Golden Girls Gone Wild as a live parody starring four men in drag for several years throughout the country. Megee is performing in the play as Dorothy Zbornak, who was played by Bea Arthur in the television show.
“I really love playing a drag tribute to Bea Arthur. She is my idol,” said Megee. He expressed it has been a joy directing the show and that the cast loves parody and are strong comedy people.
The theater company was founded in 1997 by Megee in an old coffee shop where they performed shows at 11 p.m. and 1 a.m., hence the name Late Night Theatre. The company has always done camp shows and parodies. They performed parodies based off many popular shows and films including Clueless, Designing Women, The Dukes of Hazards and The Craft.
“We all respect the material and the TV show as this is a homage to the iconic 1980s series. Our second act has at least fifty 80s costumes and we added some fun songs to the show. This is a true campy parody,” said Megee.
Megee is proud of the diversity of the actors in the company but he is also thrilled with the diverse audiences they perform for in other cities and on Tybee Island that are accepting of LGBTQIA.
“So many people come out to our shows. You have baby boomers, couples, bridal showers and more. At one point, we had Harley Riders in full Harley wear. You had a gay couple that we found out had been together 50 years in Savannah and next to them was a bridal party of twelve women, and you know they’re all there ready to have a good time,” said Megee.
A few years ago, Late Night Theatre decided to explore The Golden Girls because they were getting older as actors. Every two years they do different episodes. Megee revealed that sometimes people give them suggestions on what to perform but ultimately it depends on what makes him laugh.
In this incarnation of the show a touring group of guys and girls will perform their parody of The Golden Girls iconic hospital scenes, such as the one when Sophia thinks she’s dying, the one when Blanche struggles over giving her kidney to her sister, or the one when Rose has a heart attack and bypass surgery.
Megee said, “Oh, the hospital episodes are the best! First, they constantly have episodes in the hospital and/or doctor’s office to choose from, second, they cover so many topics in their hospital episodes. Heart Attacks, kidney donations, breast enlargement, and so on. I mean it is a plethora of health issues to choose from. Some of the best comedy are in these scenes, and third we are all getting older, health issues are more prevalent now.”
For one of the future shows Megee would like to pull inspiration from the episodes that were music events like the time they had a talent show at Shady Pines or the famous “Turkey Lurkey”.
Tickets for this show go fast. The debut shows ‘Golden Girls Gone Wild’ sold out of all six performances. The shows will be Friday and Saturday, Sept. 17-18 and Sept. 24-25 at 8 p.m. and Sundays, Sept. 19 & 26, 4 p.m. at the Tybee Post Theater. General tickets are $20 and premium tickets are $25.
Ticket purchases and more information can be found at tybeeposttheater.org.
