On March 29, the Crown Theatre will welcome four familiar friends to the stage, as “Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue” rolls into town. The hit sitcom, featuring four single ladies living their golden years in Miami, was a staple in many living rooms from 1985-1992. And now we peek in as if no time has passed as Dorothy, Sophia, Blanche, and Rose continue to thrive in 2025.
Miami’s sassiest seniors return for one more hurrah in an all-new show. The Golden Girls live has been touring since 2023; but “The Laughs Continue” is a new story by Robert Leleux, which is directed by Eric Swanson. It helps us imagine what the gals might be doing today if they were still up to their hilarious shenanigans. The live show features four men dressed up as the four ladies in a way that is nostalgic and familiar; it's easy to forget that it’s not really the original cast. Everything about the production rings true to what everyone remembers and loves about the show: from the iconic furniture (you can probably picture the way the couch looks right now), to the costumes and hairstyles, to the biting and saucy wit of the dialogue.
The official Golden Girls Live website tells us this about the show: “The Golden Girls are back in an all-new show! 2024 finds Sophia out on bail, after being busted by the DEA for running a drug ring at Shady Pines. Blanche and Rose created CreakN, a thriving sex app for seniors. And Dorothy is trying to hold it all together, with help from her much younger, sex-crazed love interest who turns out to be the district attorney prosecuting Sophia. What could possibly go wrong! Relive the heartfelt hilarity of four ladies who never stopped being your friends! This new comedy is for fans 18 and older.... because they're not the same girls from the 80s.”
The storyline of the production is original, not a reenactment of any previous episode. However, the intent of the show is to look, sound, and feel like an episode of the beloved sitcom. According to the show’s team, “It is as if they never went off the air, but just got transferred to a streaming service.” The language and content of the show would likely not pass muster with FCC regulations, hence the audience is limited to ages 18 and above, but the humor and heart of the original cast is familiar to those who love the sitcom.
Dorothy is snarky, sarcastic, and open to love; Rose is naive but maybe more clever than she seems at first; flirty Southern Belle Blanche brings her wiles to the digital world; and of course, Sophia keeps them all on their toes with her “you only live once” approach to life. Even Stan, Dorothy’s sketchy ex-husband who made frequent appearances on the TV show, is part of the action onstage.
Tickets to the March 29 performance can be purchased at crowncomplexnc.com. There are VIP tickets available that provide the best seating options as well as an opportunity to take pictures with the cast after the show. The night promises to be full of laughter and fun, with a card attached that says “Thank you for being a friend!”