Thank you for being a…fan! Following sold-out performances and rave reviews across the country, The Golden Girls are back and better than ever with a brand new stage show that’s more exciting than a trip to the Rusty Anchor. Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue will head to more than 60 cities in 2024 including a month of performances September 3 – 29 in the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
A very special VIP photo experience add-on is available that includes photos with the actors on the Golden Girls set after the show.
Picture it. United States, 2024. Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue brings Miami’s sassiest seniors to stages around the country for one more hurrah. We find Sophia out on bail after being busted by the DEA for running a drug ring for retirees. Blanche and Rose have founded CreakN, a thriving sex app for seniors. And Dorothy is trying to hold it all together with help from a new (much) younger sex-crazed lover. Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue allows audiences to relive the heartfelt hilarity of the four ladies who never stopped being best friends.
Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue is a professional stage show unlike any other Golden Girls tribute that you might have experienced. The play is written by Robert Leleux, author of The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy and The Living End. His work has also appeared in The New York Times and The New York Times Magazine and his other plays have been produced across the country. The show is directed by Eric Swanson, who was the co-founder and executive director of The Detroit Actors’ Theatre Company. The cast includes Ryan Bernier as Dorothy, Vince Kelley as Blanche, Adam Graber as Rose, Christopher Kamm as Sophia, and Tommy Favorite as Stanley/Burt. The production is produced by Murray & Peter Present.
It was a pleasure to sit down with Vince Kelley, who plays Blanche, for this exclusive Hotspots interview:
At what age did you begin performing and how did it happen?
I was like 7 and my uncle’s girlfriend was in high school play (he was in high school also) and they needed a kid and she asked my mom if I could audition. I loved it so I kept doing it. Then in 3rd grade I had a teacher who got me dance and voice lessons and I never looked back.
What was your first professional gig and how much did you get paid?
I was working at a summer theater camp with a guy who also worked at the college and he was doing a production of Midsummer Nights Dream and gave me a part. I was just a little fairy but I got paid. I don’t remember the amount.
When did you know performing would be your career?
I think in 9th grade is when I realized I was serious about it, and that’s when I started formulating that this would be the direction of my life.
Other than this show, what has been your favorite role so far?
I got to play Hedwig, which was a dream come true. The ability to have complete command over an audience was amazing. Also telling that crazy fun story was super cool. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
What’s your fantasy role (a role you haven’t played but would die to play)?
I am at a place now where I no longer feel there is a dream role in a box, so I have been looking at roles that would traditionally not be played by me. So, I am thinking of Momma Rose, etc.
Is it intimidating or is there extra pressure playing such an iconic character from an iconic TV Show?
Absolutely, Golden Girl fans are very intense and serious. There is definitely a mantle you have to rise to. We have spent a lot of time on our impressions and we are very serious about what we are doing. And we also want to make sure, since it’s 4 guys playing these girls, that it’s incredibly hilarious also.
Did you audition for Blanche or how did you get the role?
I worked with this production team 5 years ago, so when the project came into development, I received the offer. The offer was Rose or Blanche and I immediately took Blanche.
You are married. How did you meet your husband and how do you guys deal with you being on the road so much?
He was my boss, as we were both working in retail. Now we have been together for a long time, so we have history on our side. When we met, I thought I was done performing on the road and we have moved twice for his job, so he is very understanding of me traveling now.
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Energetic, unyielding and tired.
What do you do for fun?
I like to eat, and try new foods. I also love watching television and talking about shows and I love “Drag Race.”
What should our readers expect from this touring company of, “Murray and Peter’s Golden Girls, the Laughs Continue?”
Expect the unexpected. Even if you have seen every episode 10 times this is the episode you didn’t get to see yet. It’s all new and is about what the girls would be doing in 2024. The show is different every single night as there is a high level of improvisation and crowd work. It is super fun.
To find out more about Vince, go to Instagram.com/vincekelley
For more information and tour dates visit Goldengirlstour.com. Buy tickets online at BrowardCenter.org, by phone at 954.462.0222; or in person at the Broward Center’s AutoNation Box Office at 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale.
