Doc Hop

Sierra and Becca are my best friends and chosen family, and if I had it my way I would celebrate every single day with them, let alone every single birthday. But since they could only be here in spirit, they gifted me the next best thing — ALASKA!! I’d rather see the fam, but Alaska is a GREAT consolation prize! (If you see her, please do not ever tell Lasky that I called her a consolation prize.)

The show was Golden Girls LIVE and it was a limited time event featuring the entire original line up. The show originally ran from August 14 through the 16th, but it sold out so quickly that they added two additional dates. I went on the 18th, which was the very last night of performances. And since my friends are the COOLEST, they got me a VIP pass so that I could meet the entire cast after the show. And since she was guest starring, that included my girl Lasky! (I last saw her at last year’s Pride, so it had been way, way too long! I like to get at least one picture with her each year.)

JACKIE BEAT as Dorothy Zbornak

SHERRY VINE as Blanche Devereaux 

DREW DROEGE as Rose Nylund

SAM PANCAKE as Sophia Petrillo

FRED HENSON as supporting cast

ALASKA THUNDERFUCK as Freida Claxton and Barbara Thorndyke

The show was in the basement of Casita del Campo in LA. According to the restaurant’s website, Casita del Campo opened in 1962 and was founded by Rudy del Campo, a former Broadway and Las Vegas dancer who appeared as one of the Sharks in West Side Story. Rudy and his wife, Nina, ran the place together for decades, and Nina has continued the legacy since Rudy’s death in 2003. I didn’t check out any food or drink while I was there, but it certainly smelled delicious, and the vibe was on point. There was Latin art and West Side Story memorabilia lining the walls, and the entire place has a comfy, cozy, intimate atmosphere. Like the Terminator, “I’ll be back.”

Traffic getting into the city as pretty heavy, but I found a parking spot near the restaurant and made it down to the basement, aka the Cavern Club, with time to spare. Space was super limited, and if had to guess I would estimate that there were maybe 50 of us in attendance? Give or take. Since I was VIP, I had a table in the back, allowing me to see over the crowd. Since I’m a solo person, I had to sit with strangers, which is typical at these things. That said, my table was not very chatty, so I pulled out a book and read until it was time for the show to start. (At the time I was re-reading Tough Guy by Rachel Reid. Season two of Heated Rivalry is currently filming, and I had just learned that Priyanka was cast as Tarek. But I’m really excited to find out who was cast as Ryan Price.)

ANYWAY. The set up was pretty minimal. There was a very tiny stage at the front of the room, with a couch and a table set in front of a projector screen, to represent the living room and kitchen. I thought this might be Rocky Horror style, where the episodes play behind the actors, but the projector was only used for the title intro, end credits, and commercial breaks. Since the cast was acting out two full episodes, it really was just like being in a small, local theater production of Golden Girls. On drag. This made the evening even more special to me, because Becca and Sierra love to go to the theater, so it felt even more like I was sharing something with them. It was the perfect gift. If only they could had been there with me! Then it would have been absolutely perfect!

The show started right at 7 p.m., and you KNOW the entire crowd was singing right along with the “Thank You for Being a Friend” opening theme!! We were warned ahead of time that photos and backseat performances were strictly forbidden, but I think the theme song was a fair and unpreventable exception.

The first episode the group performed was called It’s a Miserable Life (S02E04). “Rose’s petition to save a very old tree attracts the ire of Freida Claxton, a misanthropic old woman, on whose property the tree stands. At a public hearing, Rose also gets angry at Mrs. Claxton and tells her to “drop dead,” which she does.”

The second episode was titled Dorothy’s New Friend (S03E15). “Dorothy enjoys the intellectual stimulation of her friendship with new pal Barbara Thorndyke, a novelist, but Barbara’s superior air and snobby ways rub Blanche and Rose the wrong way.”

And girl — I had SO MUCH FUN!!

I used to watch Golden Girls with my Aunt Martha growing up, and when I lived in Athens I did a binge over quarantine. That’s my way of saying that I’m not really a Golden Girl gay, but I do appreciate it. That said, I LOOOOOVE drag, and it was so cool to such huge names on such a small stages and in such an intimate setting.

For starters, in the first episode Alaska played Mrs. Claxton and the funeral director and in the second she played Barbara Thorndyke, and she absolutely destroyed each role. (Call her butta, because she’s on a roll, BABY!! Call the police, because she KILLED!! J/k, ACAB.) I’ve seen Alaska on a lot of different stages over the years, but this was the first time I’ve seen her act, so it was a very cool experience for me. (The second time I see her act will be in Oh, Mary this winter!! She will be playing the title character.)

But as excited as I was to see Alaska, she was not the only star on that stage, and I was also very excited to see the legendary Jackie Beat (Dorothy) and extraordinary Sherry Vine (Blanche)! The first and only time I’ve seen Jackie live was when she co-hosted Alaska and Lola’s second Drag Queen of the Year pageant, and I was GEEKING! I’ve never seen Sherry live, but I’ve followed both of them for a long time now. So much charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and TALENT on one tiny stage!

Since the set was so small, a lot had to be improvised and imagined. So anytime a scene took place somewhere other than the house, the cast would announce it together with a little chant like, “Here we are—at the funeral parlor!” And whenever they had to walk a distance, they would dramatically take one step and stop. Little touches like that really added to the funny.

Another fun bit was the “commercial breaks.” Whenever there was a long costume change, the lights would dim and the projector would play commercials from the 1980s that did not age very well. Think Bill Cosby’s pudding pops, Ayds diet candy, Massengill douche kits. It was an older crowd, so a lot of people were singing right on along with the classic jingles. Very fun!

Now, I behaved myself and did not take a single photo during the show, but I saw lots of people taking photos during the curtain call, so I went for it! I don’t think anyone minded, because at that point we were distracting from anyone’s performance. It was kind of hard to get a good one, with so many people on stage, but it should give you some idea of how small the space was, as well as the overall vibe.

But of course, my favorite part was the meet and greet! There were only a handful of us VIPs who were invited onto the stage to take a photo with the cast after the show, and I was picked as the very first one! DING DANG DONG! As soon as I approached, Alaska immediately told me that she liked my shirt. It was a MOM Podcast shirt and I specifically wore it because I knew she would like it, so that was a very validating moment for me! And since I’d planned it all out, I said, “Thank! I’m a long-time friend of the pod!” Which is what we say!! And then I said, “I’m so excited to see you in Oh, Mary,” and she said, “RIGHT?!” OH MAN, it was so perfect! I’m usually a nervous wreck when I meet her and I always feel like I have my foot in my mouth, but this time I was relaxed and knew just what to say! I guess because at this point we’re about like old friends, huh?! And as much as I would have loved to sit in Alaska’s lap for the photo, I was really excited to stand right between Jackie Beat and Sherry Vine.

I’ve sure had a ton of fun this summer, but it’s about time from me to get back to work. (Well, back to teaching. I had a dang productive summer, outside of the classroom.)

I begin my third year at Cal State Long Beach on Monday, which means I’ll be going up for reappointment this year and tenure as early as next year. So I’m big excited about that. I’m far less excited about my office situation, as I’m being forced to share for a semester. I’ve been super happy here, but that has me feeling real bratty.

Anyway. I’ll be teaching Data and Democracy (JOUR 411) on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, and Writing for the Long Beach Current (JOUR 310) on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. The LBC meets on Monday and Wednesday evenings, and production is all day Friday. This is probably the least psyched I’ve ever felt to start a semester, so I hope meeting this year’s students will help turn my mood around.

So, you know. Let’s go, year three!! 🎉