AS GOLDEN AS EVER
This perennial favorite is back for its 18th year. This “drag” version of classic holiday themed The Golden Girls episodes seems to grow in popularity every year. Since its inception in 2005 when it was originally performed to a select crowd of friends informed by email, it has outgrown the living room and two subsequent South of Market venues. Their home since 2011 has been the Victoria Theatre and has been playing to sold out houses both during the holiday and Gay Pride season.
Why all the fuss over drag queens reenacting episodes of an old sitcom you ask? As many aging baby boomers, gay men and anyone nostalgic for things from the 80s can tell you, The Golden Girls had it all! Like I Love Lucy and other vintage sitcoms, it had great writing and the themes and humor from the episodes is timeless. Older friends living together with distinct personalities, misunderstandings, schemes to find a man all tied together thru love is universal.
The appeal of The Golden Girls over it’s seven year run on NBC 1985-1992 is that even for a sitcom it was ahead of its time. Relevant issues of the day such HIV, abortion and homosexuality were presented and dealt with frankly, matter of factly and with humor.
Of course what made it all work was the fact that the leads were all seasoned sitcom pros all considered past their prime (in their “Golden” years). Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty milked all the lines and laughs for seven years.
Fast forward to 2023 when you take a well-written sitcom filled with double entendres, sexual innuendos, sarcasm and campiness and have it performed by drag queens, it’s a natural fit and takes the humor to new levels. As with the sitcom, casting is the key to its success! Local San Francisco Drag luminaries: Club Oasis founder: D’arcy Drollinger (who also directs) as Rose, Holotta Tymes as Sophia and Matthew Martin as Blanche are perfect in their roles. Drag legend and original castmate who played Dorothy, Heklina, tragically passed away earlier this year leaving big shoes to fill. Enter Coco Peru, a beloved name in the LGBTQ community. Channeling her inner Bea Arthur, Coco delivered a fantastic droll and deadpan performance as Dorothy for which she received a standing ovation at last night’s opening.
This reviewer’s personal bias as someone who has seen the show year after year is amazed and always entertained as the drag queens milk the lines, exchange glances, and reactions to comic gold with perfect timing. The audience isn’t just seeing a drag show. They’re seeing veteran comedic performers at their best.
As with every year there are two featured episodes that have an underlined holiday theme. This year was “From Here to the Pharmacy” and “Goodbye Mister Gordon.” The show is very family friendly in the humor and content. In between the episodes, the talented pianist Tom Shaw hosts the audience in a Christmas carol sing-along. Bring your friends, bring your grandmother, everyone will love it and “thank you for being a friend!”
The Golden Girls Live: The Christmas Episodes
The Victoria Theater
2961 16th Street, San Francisco
8pm Wed-Sunday
ends on December 23, 2023
for tickets, visit Golden Girls Live
