Carte BLANCHE Access Behind the Scenes with The Golden Girls

Come see Golden Girls like you’ve NEVER seen it before in this insanely funny, nostalgic, and heartwarming stage version of the classic TV show, touring the country now! Golden Girls will be showing in Minneapolis at the Pantages Theatre on August 2^nd through the 6^th. You can check out the show, get the entire schedule, and purchase your tickets at www.goldengirlstour.com

A part of the all-male cast, Vince Kelley (he/him) plays the iconic Blanche, and is so excited to share this hilarious show with Minneapolis. He is originally from Detroit, where he lives now with his “husband, Matthew, and [their] dog Mary J. Blige, who is a boy,” but the couple actually spent some time living in Minneapolis before moving back home to Detroit. Kelley says, “I was so excited to move [to Minneapolis] because of all the amazing theaters. I mean, there is one on every corner. My first audition was for The Guthrie, and I was cast in Christmas Carol! I thought, well, I’ve made it! I was wrong. It’s a TOUGH town to break into.” Even though they no longer live here, Kelley is excited to bring the show to a city he loves.

Kelley has been working with the producers of Golden Girls, Murray and Peter, for five years, and says, “I started out with them on a different production, Pray The Gay Away, which actually played Minneapolis in 2019. During the pandemic, they were working on this Golden Girls show and when they asked if I was interested in coming on board, I was like, YES!” And thus, the touring production of Golden Girls was born! For such a fun and funny show, there has also been fun to be had at every step of the process. He elaborates: “The rehearsal process for a new work like this is a little less conventional than your typical play. It’s an evaluation. I would say we built the framework for the show in about 3 weeks, and have been working on it since. We are constantly coming up with new lines and bits and the atmosphere the team has created gives us the opportunity and ability to try them out in front of an audience. We never do the same show twice, which is sooooooo fun and different as an actor. Keeps us on our toes and focused and fresh.”

The audience of this show can definitely expect a wild ride and an incredible production. So much time, effort, hard work, and love has been poured into the rehearsal process of this show. Kelley talks about his process specifically as an actor, getting into the mindset of such an iconic character as Blanche. He says, “The process for me, this is going to sound gay, starts in the heels. I don’t know what my final product will be until I’m in my shoes. It makes me feel complete. Like a gay Sweeney Todd with his blades.” And even though the show consists entirely of “men in wigs,” as Kelley says, he clarifies, “we don’t use  the word ‘DRAG.’ We are actors, female impersonators. Drag is a totally separate art form that I have the upmost respect for. And while what we are doing has been made political as of late, our show is not.”

Kelley loves being part of a talented cast and production team. Every actor, designer and crew member brings something unique and beautiful to the show. Kelley says, “I LOVE our cast. To think that all the right people were in the right place at the right time is really mind blowing.” A group of actors with real chemistry is so important, and these actors definitely have just that. Kelly says, “We actually like being together. Also, Murray and Peter are the best producers I’ve worked for. They bring together top talent, onstage and off, and everyone keeps coming back project after project. It’s literally a dream come true.” Come see the magic they create together onstage, and see for yourself how palpable the chemistry and friendship between these incredible actors is!

Golden Girls is a show is for everyone (well, everyone 18 years old and older)! Kelley says, “While I one hundred percent agree that the LGBTQ+ community has made these women icons, our show is for everybody. And it’s multi-generational. Women who watched the show originally love our show. Gay men who watched the show with their grandmothers. Millennials who watch reruns on Hulu. Husbands dragged by their wives.” In tough times like these, sometimes the best medicine for society is to take a deep breath and laugh, real, big, belly laughs, and that’s just what Golden Girls sets out to do. Side-splitting laugher is their goal, and they never fall short! Kelley says that audiences can, “expect the unexpected. This is the Golden Girls like you’ve never seen them before. This is as if they took the show from NBC to HBO. When we say, 18+, we mean it.”

Audiences can also expect the chance to talk with all the actors after the show. Kelley says, “We do a Meet and Greet after the show and women will come up in groups and be like, I’M THE BLANCHE! I’M THE ROSE! It’s so fun.” Not only do you get to see an incredible show, but you’ll also get to talk to the creators of such a masterpiece afterward!

You really don’t want to miss out on this iconic stage play version of Golden Girls! Just like Kelley says, “We have the lobster Jell-O mold for Pete’s sake!” Don’t delay, get your tickets today!

Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue
August 2-6
Pantages Theatre, 710 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis
$34.00-103.00
www.goldengirlstour.com/tour/2023/