By now, the four women of The Golden Girls have become woven into the fabric of American culture. Dorothy (David Cerna), Blanche (Grant Drager), Sophia (Kelly Bolton), and Rose (Ed Jones) return with a funny parody of the television show. This time, Rose has dragged Stan (Scott Sawa) into a multilevel marketing scheme involving the world-famous cheeses from her home town of St. Olaf, Minnesota. This time around, the girls have to save Rose from losing her life savings on a garage full of cheese in The Golden Girls: The Cheese Pyramid.
There are some fun new characters in this show. There is the multi-level leader, Inga Ostenkongen (Gretchen Greear), who appears in hilarious videos sharing fun facts about St. Olaf cheese. Did you know it also works as a denture adhesive? Spackle for the tub? A spa mask? The videos are mixed in with authentic '80s schlock commercials for Velveeta and one of the most annoying McDonald's commercials, ever. Tanya (Jamie Aitchison) is one of the faithful "cheese curds" in Rose's pyramid, who brings in Walter the Wonder Dog (Cerna's adorable pup). Danne W. Taylor plays Madame Zuhara, the psychic from Shady Pines. Taylor has appeared as Nancy Drew in other episodes, like The Golden Girls Save Christmas. His Madame Zuhara is just as hilarious, with an ever-burning cigarette that she ashes into a coffee cup.
The cast pulls out all the stops with broad strokes in their characterizations. Drager brings trampy Blanche to life with that wiggle that says "ants in my pants." Cerna is perfect as Dorothy, with acerbic one-liners and facial expressions. There is a shout-out to Bea Arthur, who played Dorothy on the show. Cerna mentions playing in Mame (1974) with Lucille Ball. I recall the movie being panned for being a stiff remake and for using filters on Ball's face that may as well have been Vaseline on the lens. June Crayfish from Murder Rewrote is another of my favorite Cerna roles from Hell in a Handbag.
I like the structure of this show. The video promos are a great parody within the parody. They have a "Miss Cleo" vibe, with distorted video and grainy visuals. Look for the Kraft Macaroni and Cheese commercial with the blue monster. It is hilarious gross-out humor. The actual mascot was the orange Cheesasaurus Rex. I liked the way they give the multilevel scam a religious fervor. There is even a reference to Cheezuz Christ with Sophia pretending to appear in a vision to Inga.
Director Brigitte Ditmars makes the most of the intimate space at Handbag's new boutique venue. This is the first show I have attended in the new space called the Clutch, a black box theater with a small stage. I am accustomed to the great sets that look like Golden Girls episodes. The space is cut in half, but the cast does a great job of using the aisles as entrances. Marcus Klein's scenic design does well using the space that he has, but broad comedy and parody need more space.
Ben Kress's costume design in this show is fantastic. Rose's hostess outfit is an outrageous Delft blue with a cheese-yellow balloon hat. Hats off to Sawa in the yellow tights, lederhosen, and those blue shoes! Blanche's red dress screams '80s slut under the disco ball. The air conditioning was being temperamental on the night I attended, but ice-cold beverages were available for a donation in the lobby.
I do recommend The Golden Girls: The Cheese Pyramid. It is an excellent parody with great timing and pacing. Also, they take donations for Season of Concern, which began during the AIDS crisis, to fund healthcare. Now it is a fund for artists in the theater and dance world, where company-supplied insurance can be a challenge. You can also take pictures with the cast, including Walter the Wonderdog. It's a fun way to spend an evening.
The Golden Girls: The Cheese Pyramid runs 90 minutes with one intermission and is now playing at the Clutch, 4335 N. Western Ave. Performances run through June 21. For more information, please visit the website.
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