Page 15A – THE WAKULLA NEWS, Thursday, October 29, 2015 www.thewakullanews.com
‘Thank you for being a friend’
Senior Center’s ‘Golden Girls’ show brings down the house
PHOTOS BY NICOLE ZEMA
By NICOLE ZEMA nzema@thewakullanews.net
When is the last time you referred to your mother as a “wrinkled old Sicilian woman” and got away with it? Dorothy Zbornak did on Friday night – but it was only one of many well-timed insults in the production: “Golden Girls: The Musical”. The comedy was presented by the Young at Heart Drama Club at the Senior Center the evening of Oct. 23 to a packed house. The 225 available tickets sold out prior to the show, and about 50 people showed up and bought tickets at the door. It was standingroom only. About $2,000 was raised for the Senior Center’s active Meals on Wheels program. The show’s director and writer Pat Carrico said she was grateful for the
tremendous support. “Oh boy, did we practice,” Carrico said. “Five months of practice.” The hard work was evident in the production based on the popular TV sitcom “Golden Girls” about four senior roommates living in Miami. Diane Tompson played Dorothy; Joan Vaillancourt played Rose Nylund; Harriet Rich was Blanche Devereaux and Lassie Williams performed the role of Dorothy’s live-in mother Sophia Petrillo. In an effort to raise money for
their senior center, the Golden Girls invite celebrity guests for a live show. When the celebrities can’t make it – the girls and their friends have to be the stars themselves. The performance was a showcase of Wakulla’s talented seniors who danced, sang and delivered lines with hysterical comedic timing. It was so good – one performance doesn’t cut it. Rumors are floating that an encore will be presented closer to Christmas. “I’ve heard that too,” Carrico said. However, the decision is up to the cast. Carrico bragged on her dedicated cast. “Joan Vaillancourt was remarkable,” Carrico said of the sweet-yet-
ditzy role. “She worked hard on building her character. The dedication of the cast stands out. Those characters are not easy to build. Overall, it was great.” Live music only enhanced the performance, with musical accompaniment from Jerry Evans and Joan and Charles Smith. The show wrapped with a heartwarming singing of the show’s theme song: Thank You for being a Friend. Carrico was presented with a bouquet of flowers following the performance. How did she make an iconic show into something fresh and original? “I put the characters in my head and thought of funniest circumstances, and it just evolved,” Carrico said. She credited the cast and crew for taking it to the next level, like Margy Callaghan who played Sophia’s sister Gina from Italy, and also painted the set backdrop. Other players were Buddy Wells as Dorothy’s ex-husband Stan, who doubled as Kenny Rogers; Barbara Norberto as Babbling Barbara; and Walter Donaldson and PR Man Walter. There were also appearances by Sonny Bono played by Lassie Williams; Cher played by Diane Tompson; and Dolly Parton was played by Harriet Rich. Special thanks to the crew and supporters: Earl Kirkland, Margy Callaghan, Joan Vaillancourt, Diane Thompson, Marian Revell, Letha Wells, Buddy Wells, Lou Callaghan, Dick Bickford, Maurice Langston, Courtney Parker, Shelly Homan and Jerry Evans.
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