In this case the “gold” is in the form of Murder Mystery Manhattan’s (MMM) dinner theater production of “The Golden Girls Gone Wild” and the “hills” are home to the Catskill Mountains Resort (CMR), perched high above Barryville, NY. Having heard that the “Golden Girls” would be making an appearance at the resort’s club, Zac’s Wilderness Lounge, I called Zac himself, aka William Zaccari, to get the lowdown on the production. “Oh, this show is gonna be great!” Zaccari enthused over the phone. “I saw them do a spoof of ‘The Sopranos’ at a club in New York City and the audience went nuts!” he said. “The ‘Golden Girls’ should fit right in with the crowd at Zac’s. And this is only the beginning. We have a lot of fun events planned for the coming months.”

Another call to “Golden Girls” producer/director/star Keith Dougherty provided more information. “Believe it or not,” Dougherty said, “I’ve been doing ‘murder mystery’ theater for 25 years. I began performing shows with a company in New York City while pursuing my acting career, and realized that I could produce my own, and bring this kind of entertainment to the Catskills, where we have been performing for a number of years. My family moved to Orange County when I was 16, and after spending many years in New York, it’s all come full circle, and I’ve come home to help my parents out.

“I’m here all of the time, so the region is now home base for the Golden Girls and extended family of wild characters that Murder Mystery Manhattan Theater Company provides. Aside from my participation with the Clove Creek Dinner Theater in Fishkill, I’m basically the ‘chief cook and bottle washer’ for MMM and am responsible for writing the shows and getting them booked into great spots like Zac’s.”

In addition to producing and directing, Doherty stars in many of the productions, often playing female characters in a salute to gender-bending hi-jinx, and “Golden Girls” is no exception. It features Keith himself as “Dorothy Soreback” with a supporting cast comprising Natalie Wilder and Laurel Riley-Brown (as Blanche and Sophia, respectively) and a character not familiar from the TV show (Phil) played by Patrick Shea. “Nope, this one is not a murder mystery,” Dougherty told me before the show. “We do all sorts of shows. This time it’s a surprise birthday party for Dorothy. Trust me,” he promised, “you’ll have a good time.”

As the crowd filtered into Zac’s I schmoozed with some of the guests, many of whom had driven a distance to get there. Surprised to see a table of young women, I asked what the appeal was, since the television show being spoofed was originally aired in the mid-’80s. “Oh, we love the Golden Girls!” Zoriana Gingold said, while the others nodded. “We watch TV reruns all the time, and each one of us is relates to a different character.” Laughing in agreement, the others chimed in. “I’m Blanche,” said Katie McCracken, “We’re having a blast!”

Prior to the buffet dinner being served, Blanche and Sophia joined the guests, asking for our help in surprising Dorothy before her arrival, while making it clear that this would be an evening of “interactive” theater featuring scripted material interspersed with improvisation from the performers mingling with the audience. The “first act” ensued, and as the plot thickened, we were informed that Sophia had also made plans with Phil to present a little “Dating Game” for Dorothy to help her find a man. Seeking volunteers from the audience, I signed on as bachelor #1 and joined two others, including Russ Gloor, who was with a group from Matamoras, PA and having a “great time” with his friends. In fact, the room was packed with folks enjoying the “up-close and personal” action that the girls provided throughout the evening.

I spotted lounge proprietor Zaccari posing with Dorothy and guests after the show and asked a few more questions. “Oh, definitely,” he enthused. “These performers will be back, and we have loads of fun events on the schedule, including an Oldies Night and a Country Night. And with a tremendous assist from our new club manager Andy Falone, we are bringing all sorts of great entertainment to Zac’s.”

In between signing autographs, “Dorothy” was just as enthusiastic when confirming that MMM would be coming back to the Catskill Mountains Resort. “We love this lounge!” she said while taking selfies with the appreciative audience, who roared in approval. “Like us on Facebook,” she told the crowd. “If you think this was wild, stay tuned—you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”

For more information regarding the Catskill Mountains Resort, call 845/456-0195. To reach Keith Dougherty and the rest of the girls, go to www.murdermys terymanhattan.com or call 917/769-5180.