Interview: Al Duffy, Suzan M. Jacokes, & Richard Payton Chat A VERY GOLDEN GIRLS CHRISTMAS at The Ringwald!

A Very Golden Girls Christmas opens at the Ringwald tonight to celebrate the holidays with some cheesecake and your favorite Florida foursome! The show is running four weeks through December 20th and it's a love letter to Golden Girls fans with this unauthorized parody returning for second volume about the beloved sitcom. BroadwayWorld Detroit had a chance to speak with Director Suzan M. Jacokes and two of the show's four stars, Al Duffy playing Sophia and Richard Payton playing Blanche, about the delightful holiday comedy. Enjoy our chat and their fun answers to get you excited for the performance tonight and in the coming weeks!

BroadwayWorld Detroit: Can you give our readers a brief background of yourself and your theatre career as an introduction?

Al Duffy (they/them): Well, I just graduated from Wayne State University with a BFA in theatre and a minor in musical theatre. I'm originally from Saginaw and I've been doing theatre since the 6th grade! Some of my favorite roles I've played are Joan in FUNHOME, Prince Mamillius in the Winter's Tale, and Karl in a new musical entitled Trivøya Gold that we actually did totally online during quarantine. I love to be in musicals, but my first show at the Ringwald was last month where I played Sally Perks (and others) in Puffs! I'm so excited to get to do more comedy and really stretch my improv skills.

Suzan M. Jacokes (she/her): BFA from WSU. Second City Detroit Mainstage. Frank N Furter in Rocky Horror Show, Della in The Cake, and Gynecia in Head Over Heels all at The Ringwald.

Richard Payton (he/him): I received my BFA in musical theatre from Syracuse University. I've been acting professionally in the area since 2007. I was in the first Golden Girls show at the Ringwald Thank You for Being a Friend and just love playing Blanche. Some of my other favorite Ringwald roles include Bobby in Company, Alex in Buyer & Cellar, Danny in The Submission and Milky White in Into the Woods.

Quick! Describe the show in five words:

Duffy: Laugh, argue, breasts, drag, friend

Jacokes: Very freakin' funny!

Payton: Okay! Unpredictable, goofy, hilarious, nostalgic, drag-tastic

What was your introduction to Golden Girls?

Duffy: To be completely honest with you, this show! I had seen clips here and there, specifically the two episodes with the confederate flag and the lesbian characters. I knew Golden Girls was iconic. I knew it was ahead of its time and really unlike any other sitcom out there. I mean what show would willing have four elderly women as their main characters? We're often told to believe that women lose their purpose and usefulness after age 30, but Golden Girls shows us that YOU GO ON LIVING! (And eating, and making friends, and growing as a person...) Since being cast, I've been watching episodes, compilation videos, and I have to say, I'm pretty well-obsessed with them now!

Jacokes: I watched every episode when I was little.

Payton: I have wonderful memories of watching The Golden Girls with my Grandma Martha. I think a lot of the jokes went over my head, but what I remember so fondly is how hard my Grandma laughed at the show. It was just a joy to sit there and bask in her laughter and take it all in.

How would you describe A Very Golden Girls Christmas in your own words?

Duffy: Picture it: Four women, friends. They argue, they make the audience laugh, they make each other laugh, they remind people of the 80s and Christmas time. There's no intermission.

Jacokes: It's a little love letter to The Golden Girls.

Payton: Rose is trying to put on a Christmas pageant just before Christmas and recruits Blanche, Dorothy, and Sophia to help her put on a show. The girls have to come up with ideas, write skits and songs, and rehearse a show all while trying to prepare for the holiday themselves. It's a ridiculous romp in drag, giving you that high camp that the Ringwald is so very well known for.

Who's your favorite Golden Girl and why?

Duffy: Definitely Dorothy. To me, she's the voice of reason; she's the smart one; the glue of the family. And her dry-ass humor always makes me laugh.

Jacokes: Dorothy, her reactions to things were funnier than any punch line.

Payton: Dorothy. By far. I adore her sharp wit and the way she can cut anyone down with just a glance. Simply masterful.

How would you describe your role?

Duffy: Sophia is Dorothy's mother and the eldest of all The Golden Girls. She suffered a stroke some time back and, since then, has become the toughest little Italian lady you've ever met. She can't help herself from making fun of Rose's nativity, Blanche's promiscuity, or Dorothy's inability to land a date. Sophia packs a big punch in a little package.

Payton: Blanche is flirty, horny, and fun. She's also vulnerable and loving. She's a strong, independent woman, confident, smart, and not afraid to go after what she wants.

Do you see any similarities between your Golden Girl and yourself?

Duffy: I absolutely love to make fun of my friends the same way that Sophia does. Being a theatre person, I'm similarly prone to long stories about myself.

Payton: Are you asking if I'm boy crazy?? (winks)

If you weren't playing your Golden Girl, would you be friends with her?

Duffy: Maybe not friends, but if Sophia was my grandma, I would think she was the coolest person in the world.

Payton: Oh absolutely. A gay man and Blanche Devereax?? We'd be hitting up the town hitting all the bars and hitting on all the men. In a classy, Southern kind of way, of course.

Why would Golden Girls fans like this show?

Duffy: I think we have all done a really good job of bringing these characters to life on the stage with our own spin on each of them of course. The Ringwald version of The Golden Girls is twice as ridiculous with all the heartfelt love you feel in the real show.

Payton: We hit a LOT of favorite and iconic moments that will remind you just how much and why you love these characters and the TV show.

Do you have a favorite moment or line in the show?

Duffy: Richard Payton as Blanche has made me break in just about every rehearsal we've had. He's added so much physicality to the characters and it's absolutely hilarious.

Jacokes: I don't want to spoil anything. And there are too many to count!

Payton: I don't want to give anything away, but I'll just say there's a brief dance number.

Why should people experience The Ringwald's holiday show?

Duffy: If you're looking for a sweet show that will give you nostalgia for the 80s and make you laugh your ass off all while NOT having a Christian undertone, this is the perfect show for you.

Jacokes: It's light-hearted and just fun!

Payton: We all need a good laugh, especially when things get stressful. Come celebrate these wonderful characters and this magical season while taking your mind off of everything else and laugh until you eat a bowl of jelly or whatever. You know the saying.

How can our readers connect with you?

Duffy: On my Instagram @al_duffy_ and at my website www.alduffy.com.

Payton: My Instagram is @therichardpayton. You can follow me and my boyfriend's baking escapades @gaybakers on Instagram as well.

A Very Golden Girls Christmas opens tonight and runs until December 20th at The Ringwald located inside of Affirmations LGBTQ Community Center at 290 W. 9 Mile Road in downtown Ferndale, Michigan. For tickets and more information, visit theRingwald.com. This year the Ringwald is going cashless, but credit cards will be accepted at the door. Tickets are currently available online.

Masks and Proof of Vaccination (for audiences ages 12 and older) required for entry.

Connect with the Ringwald on Instagram @theringwald, on Twitter @TheRingwald, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheRingwald.

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