‘Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue’ comes to Morgantown
Trending
MORGANTOWN – "Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue" makes its first West Virginian stop at the Metropolitan Theatre at 373 High St. at 7 p.m. today
This stop is part of the play's four-year tour, presented by Outback Presents. The cast includes Chris Davis as Dorothy Zbornak, Adam Graber as Rose Nylund, Christopher Kamm as Sophia Petrillo and Vince Kelley as Blanche Devereaux.
Kelley said the play is set in this decade, as if "Golden Girls" was still on air today.
"Sophia is out on bail for selling drugs to her friends at Shady Pines, for medicinal purposes only, of course," he said. "Blanche and Rose have developed a dating app for seniors, and they force Dorothy to get on the app, and she meets this guy she really likes, but that man happens to be the prosecuting attorney who's trying to put Sophia in jail."
Kelley said that having men take on the roles of such iconic women takes the play "up to 11." He said that the production company came up with the idea during the Covid-19 pandemic, inspired by trending performances such as Murray & Petter and RuPaul's Drag Race.
Kelley said he is blessed to play the role of Blanche and embody her confidence. He said he has been watching the show since he was a child.
"I used to watch it with my grandmother. I would spend Saturday nights with her when my mom was out having fun, and we would watch what I called the 'old lady show,' when I was, you know, four, five and six," Kelley said.
Kelley said that while the play has been touring for four years, this leg of the show has been going on for around five weeks. This is the first time the play has stopped in West Virginia, making it the 45th state the company has visited.
Kelley said he is grateful that the company has been able to keep the same team throughout the years of production.
"When the same people are working together all the time, not only off stage are things going great, we can set up really fast, and the lights can be done really quick, the same thing happens on stage," he said. "I can look at my co-stars and know exactly what's going to happen and what they're going to say, and our timing is good."
Kelley said the show is a fun opportunity for long-time fans and people who have never seen the show alike.
"We really tried to create a show where even if you've never seen the 'Golden Girls,' it's not so inside baseball where we're just only talking in references and you're like, 'I don't understand what's going on,'" he said. "It's like a lost episode, a forgotten episode. It's fun for people who are joining the 'Golden Girls' wherever they are."
Tickets start at $54.50 and are available at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/160064B5F0D4EEB6. Kelley recommends checking the box office for "day of" deals if unable to purchase beforehand.