Oscar Wilde wrote, "Life imitates art far more than art imitates life", and in the case of the audience at the Orpheum on Friday night I would have to agree. What he meant by that was that art helps us appreciate the beauty in life. In the Friday night audience, there were lots of examples in the groups of theatergoers in attendance. It was as if you could sense the many colored threads that held them together by the way they stood and spoke in little pods in the lobby. Seated in the theater, there was an electric moment of hearing the theme song "Thank you for being a friend..." as the show was starting. I am pretty sure, I am not the only one who was quietly singing along. So, I am going to call this theatrical experience a celebration of friendship with a few spicey, and quirky jokes thrown in; which is pretty much how I like my own friendships to work. This show is a delightful 75 minute reminder of the way that we navigate the waters of friendship in life.
We are introduced to the characters and their puppeteers who are dressed in black, and at first I was worried that I would be distracted by too many things to look at, but my eye began to train itself to watch the puppet. A highlight for this reviewer was Dylan Glick performing the role of puppeteer and voice for Dorothy. His characterization was so close to the voice quality of Bea Arthur that I was instantly comfortable with him/her. The dry delivery of insults and entreaties to "MA!" were spot on. That characterization made it all the harder to accept the voice of Sophia's puppeteer articulating the wacky logic and stinging remarks to other characters with vocal tones that were so delicate in timbre. Miranda Cooper's nuanced accent for the Brooklyn Italian mama was present, but the grittiness of that older voice was missing. Lu Zielinski's vocal and emotional voice and puppetry for Blanche was a splendid characterization of the sex-crazed Blanche, and led the pitch to hilarity in some integral scenes of the show. Samantha Lee Mason as Rose had the herculean task of voicing the puppet of the actress Betty White's beloved character on the television series. The delivery of the notoriously goofy Norwegian-sounding names of things and events in her hometown of St. Olaf was fun to revisit and her vocal qualities were often very familiar and comforting to the ear.
The production team did a great job of making the voices audible and the set inviting to the viewer's eye. There is merchandise to peruse in the lobby and I may be "dating" myself by saying that the prices are a "good bargain". January can be a long and tedious month to put up with, so do yourself a favor and take in "That Golden Girls Show: A puppet parody " at the Orpheum Theater this weekend, you'll be happy to have something to smile about when you recall the days of Winter 2022.
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