8 FEBRUARY 10, 2022 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Queens Theatre to present ‘Golden Girls’ puppet parody show
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
CMOHAMED@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Aft er transitioning to online programming
for its audience amid
the COVID-19 pandemic, Queens
Theatre is bringing a “Golden Girls”
puppet parody show to the borough as
the venue’s fi rst in-person show of 2022.
“That Golden Girls Show!” tour will
be presented on Sunday, Feb. 20, at 3
p.m. and 7 p.m. According to Taryn
Sacramone, executive director of
Queens Theatre, they’re looking forward
to reconnecting with everyone
this year, beginning with the “Golden
Girls” show.
“This is a show that interested us
before the pandemic. It feels even
more appropriate now because we
are looking to bring the community
together for a really joyful experience.
We want people to have fun, to laugh
and connect over their shared fandom
of ‘The Golden Girls,’” Sacramone said.
“The Golden Girls” sitcom aired for
seven seasons from 1985 to 1992 with
an ensemble cast starring Bea Arthur
as Dorothy Zbornak, Betty White
as Rose Nylund, Rue McClanahan as
Blanche Devereaux and Estelle Getty as
Sophia Petrillo, Dorothy’s 80-year-old
widowed mother.
The brand-new show at Queens
Theatre parodies classic “Golden
Girls” moments with puppets portraying
the four women — from Sophia’s
New York-based musical theater performer and puppeteer Samantha Lee
Mason Photo courtesy of Queens Theatre
get-rich-quick schemes to Rose’s tales
from St. Olaf, Blanche’s insatiable hunt
for men and the fountain of youth, and
Dorothy’s daily struggle to make sense
of her life.
According to Queens Theatre, the
show is also a way to celebrate White,
who appeared on the show for seven
years in 177 episodes and died at the age
of 99 in December 2021.
“While we are extremely saddened
by Betty White’s passing, we are so
thankful to have the opportunity to
bring her fans together to celebrate
Betty’s incredible career and one of
her most iconic roles with this puppet
parody show. What better way to honor
Betty White than to laugh together?”
Sacramone said.
The show’s cast includes Miranda
Cooper as Sophia, Dylan Glick as
Dorothy, Lu Zielinkski as Blanche and
Samantha Lee Mason as Rose.
For Mason, who is a New York-based
musical theater performer and puppeteer,
it’s an honor to portray White’s
comedic character as Rose onstage.
“I love playing Rose because I like her
sense of earnest optimism. She’s really
sweet and she has love for her friends,
how she grew up, and she has all of
these crazy funny stories that I get to
tell,” Mason said.
Although she didn’t know White
personally, Mason says it felt very personal
when White died while working
on emulating her character as Rose.
“I felt like I knew her and that’s something
universal; everyone knows Betty
White. I really want to continue her
legacy in a respectful way, and I want
what I’m doing to be a love letter to her,”
Mason said.
Mason says she hopes people will
come to the show to not only share in
laughter and joy but to also celebrate
the incredible life of White.
“Our show is told in three episodes of
‘The Golden Girls.’ It’s almost as though
the audience will be participating in
what would have been a live taping of
the show back in the ’80s,” Mason said.
“We just hope we leave people laughing
and smiling and having a great time
in the theater because we all need an
escape right now.”
For more information and to purchase
tickets, visit queenstheatre.org.
Astoria piano prodigy captures grand prize at international competition
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
A 14-year-old student from St. John’s Prep in
Astoria captured top honors in a prestigious
international music competition.
The Philadelphia International Music Festival
(PIMF) featured nearly 300 musicians ages 8 to 25
from around the globe competing for scholarships,
as well as a host of performance opportunities, and
Astoria teenage pianist Xuanxiang Wu won the annual
PIMF Winter Concerto Competition’s grand
prize, including a full scholarship to the Philadelphia
International Music Festival’s intensive classical music
training program this summer, a private recital
in Philadelphia and a featured performance on the
PIMF YouTube channel.
The youngster will also take the stage next fall in
the PIMF Winners Circle Concert, which regularly
features performances by members of the Philadelphia
Orchestra.
The St. John’s Prep student competed with Rachmaninoff
’s Piano Concerto No.3 in D Minor Op.30,
“Allegro ma nontanto.”
“This concerto was one of my dream pieces. I’m glad
it’s done,” Wu said. “Rachmaninoff is one of my favorite
musicians. At the age of 9, I read the Chinese translation
of ‘Sergei Rachmaninoff : A Lifetime of Music.’ I
was fascinated and moved by his life’s magnifi cent
ups and downs and liked his music even more. I think
if listeners can read the biography and understand
Rachmaninoff ’s experience and state of mind, listening
to the concerto will have a diff erent feeling.”
Wu made his Carnegie Hall debut in May 2018 playing
with the New York International Chamber Orchestra,
playing Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1. He has
been studying piano for nine years, abandoning drums
to focus on the keyboard.
“The piano is a magical instrument, which can express
all kinds of emotions,” Wu explained. “I want to
share my feelings through the music. Music has opened
doors for me one aft er another, from my hometown to
Shanghai and then to New York, giving me the opportunity
to contact with the wider world. Wherever the
music takes me, I will keep enjoying it and share it with
everyone.”
Before moving to Queens, Wu studied at the Music
Middle School of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
He joined the Juilliard Pre-College Program as a student
of Ernest Barretta in September. His performance at
the PIMF Winter Concerto Competition stood out in a
competition that showcased a talented fi eld of young
musicians from across the globe.
“It was quite literally an outpouring of talent submitted
to our Winter Virtual Concerto Competition from
all over the world,” PIMF President Sandy Marcucci
said. “Almost 300 young musicians off ered their video
performances, and the skills and artistic levels were
simply dazzling.”
Judge Hai-Ye Ni, principal cello of the Philadelphia
Orchestra, agreed.
Xuanxiang Wu from Astoria won the grand
prize at the annual PIMF Winter Concerto
Competition. Photo courtesy of Xuanxiang Wu
“The level this year was very high,” she said. “I was
very impressed by the eff ort that these young people
made, and surprised by the countries that the contestants
were from, from Singapore and Russia, and
beyond. I am very hopeful for the future of classical
music. It is going to get better and better.”
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