1 week Ago By Matthew J. Palm
When audiences heard Divine Grace, in character as Dorothy from TV’s “The Golden Girls,” speak for the first time, there was a uniform response.“The gasps she would get simply from opening her mouth and raspily laying out her first line was always one of my favorite things to witness,” wrote Jason Richards, who performed alongside her, in a social-media tribute. “And then the gales of laughter.
..”Friends and fans are mourning Divine Grace, the alter ego of Orlando actor Chadrick Pace, whose death at age 50 was announced Sunday by the Fruit Wine theatrical production company.
“A beloved figure in Orlando’s LGBTQ+ community and beyond, Divine Grace was celebrated for her sharp wit, theatrical flair and unwavering authenticity,” Fruit Wine Productions’ statement read. “Divine Grace’s legacy is one of courage, creativity and compassion.”The Orlando company, which produces drag parodies of 1980s TV sitcom “The Golden Girls,” said it had no additional information about Pace’s death.
In “The Golden Gals” parody shows, Divine Grace channeled Dorothy’s original portrayer, Tony- and Emmy-winner Beatrice Arthur, who was known for her deep voice and comic timing that could add extra sting to a sarcastic remark.In a 2020 interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Divine Grace cracked she had been preparing for the role “every Saturday night since 1985.” The result was astonishing.
“As much as she was a ball of nerves and self deprecation backstage, as soon as she crossed the threshold, she just was Bea Arthur,” co-star Richards wrote. “The transformation was as mesmerizing as it was uncanny.”Ginger Minj (as Blanche, from left), Divine Grace (Dorothy), Gidget Galore (Rose) and Mr Ms Adrien (Sophia) are pictured in “The Golden Gals Live!” (Courtesy Fruit Wine Productions)Critics agreed.
Divine Grace was honored in 2020 in the Orlando Sentinel’s annual theater accolades for her work in that year’s “The Golden Gals: A Christmas Musical.” The Chicago Tribune’s Chris Jones praised her “exceptionally droll” delivery in a production of “The Golden Girls Live.”Richards was in awe of how she “casually yet expertly landed every single joke with surgical precision.
”“All I could do was stand back and support the magic she created,” he wrote. “And learn.”Offstage, Divine Grace had a knack for making friends.
Aaron Sanford-Wetherell remembered meeting the entertainer in line for food at the now-razed Parliament House resort.Sophia (Mr Ms Adrien, from left), Dorothy (Divine Grace), Blanche (Ginger Minj) and Rose (Gidget Galore) have a gift exchange in a 2020 Orlando production of “The Golden Gals: A Christmas Musical.” (Matthew J.
Palm/Orlando Sentinel file photo)“We bonded at the buffet where they were serving loose-meat sandwiches,” he recalled. We bonded about how terrible they were.”The connection lasted.
“Over the years Divine has been someone that I reach out to, to share jokes and have a good laugh together,” Sanford-Wetherell said.Local playwright-actor Michael Wanzie respected her for her political savviness and for being “not the least bit shy about sharing her honest feelings about any and every current event.”“She was acid-tongued and acerbic and incredibly quick witted,” he said of the Divine Grace persona.
“She was as well-known for being nasty as she was for being talented, but behind it all was a huge heart.”Posing for a “Golden Gals” promotional photo: Doug Ba’aser, in the Santa suit, with Ginger Minj (from left), Divine Grace, Gidget Galore and Mr Ms Adrien. (Courtesy Fruit Wine Productions)If Divine Grace was able to command a stage, Pace had a more difficult time.
He was brokenhearted after the 2023 death of his longtime partner, with whom he had shared a tumultuous relationship.“Chad, the man behind the woman, was a complicated and troubled soul who found his escape through Divine — much to everyone’s delight,” Wanzie said.Hailing from North Carolina, Pace was a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
In Orlando, entertainment gigs including hosting events at Savoy Orlando, a gay bar at 1913 N. Orange Ave. A celebration of Pace’s life will take place there at 7 p.
m. April 30.Savoy owner Brandon Bracale-Llewellyn said he was heartbroken at the news of Pace’s death.
“His presence brought light, laughter, and love into every room he entered,” he wrote in an online tribute.“More than a colleague, he was a true friend — a source of inspiration, wisdom and unwavering support.”Both Sanford-Wetherell and Wanzie praised Pace’s emcee skills as Divine Grace.
“She was an excellent host for charity events, Pride events, and pretty much anything,” Sanford-Wetherell said.Gidget Galore (from left) is Rose, Mr Ms Adrien is Sophia, Divine Grace is Dorothy and Ginger Minj is Blanche in “The Golden Gals Live!” (Courtesy Fruit Wine Productions)“Orlando has many fine female impersonators but few who can hold a microphone and actually pull off emceeing with any degree of professionalism,” Wanzie said. “Divine was one who was a master at it, and I think all would agree she was the premier roaster — who everyone both enjoyed and feared.
”Pace also wrote material for other drag artists and comedians, and for several years worked as a costume technician for Hardrive Productions in Orlando.Ginger Minj, of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” fame, called Divine Grace “my writing partner, my sister, my friend.” Minj, the drag persona of Orlando-based actor Joshua Eads, played Blanche to Divine Grace’s Dorothy in the “Golden Gals” parodies, and the two starred together in multiple other shows.
“You have been a constant in my life from the moment you barged into it 12 years ago,” she wrote in tribute. “The only thing that brings me comfort with the news of your passing is knowing that the legacy and art you’ve created will continue to live on through all of us. I love you so much and, as always, thank YOU for being my friend.
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