An homage to one of television’s most celebrated sitcoms? “Golden Girls: A Tribute Show — Drag Parody” is making its southernmost debut at The Key West Theater.
The show stars Very Gerry, Tom Catt, Toni Homeperm, and Drag Events Unlimited’s Nicole Halliwell, who has been considering a way to present the show in Key West since early last year.
The performer recognizes that out of the many sitcoms that became required viewing in the ‘80s, “The Golden Girls” proved enduring with its comedic writing and sharpness that never felt stale. Making it ripe to be watched for the first time by increasingly younger generations.
“While so many young people discover it with memes, or in clips on platforms like TikTok,” Halliwell said, “I truly think the majority of viewership is generational now. We encounter countless fans at each show who tell us ‘I always watched this with my mom, my grandmother, my sister, and now I’ve continued the tradition with my kids who watch it with me.’” Halliwell can attest to this as someone who watched it with a parent.
While touring, Halliwell has a specific checklist for scouting locations that help the show’s performers make the best impression. The cast member personally took a four-hour drive to Key West to get a look at prospective spaces in person and staff and venue quality. The Key West Theater became the top choice.
“It has a long beloved history in the community, and that was important. We’ve had an incredible experience since day one working with their team, and they’ve been beyond welcoming and accommodating to make our debut show as successful as possible,” Halliwell said.
The concept for the tribute show, which has toured other cities, dates to 2016 and was fully realized at the beginning of 2024 with the launch of the Official Golden Girls Kitchen in Miami.
While it is scripted along the lines of other live theater performances, this show incorporates a significant amount of crowd work and audience interaction that changes with each venue.
At one performance for instance in Fort Lauderdale at Sunshine Cathedral — a church that doubles as a performance space — Dorothy gets offended by Blanche’s advances towards a man and exclaims “Blanche! We’re in a church!” Blanche replies without taking her eyes off of the man she’s lusting over: “Oh, you’re right! I should be on my knees!”
“The audience erupted in laughter,” Halliwell recalled.
“We never miss a chance to play with these brilliant characters in every way possible.”
The event organizer emphasized that the live show is open to all regardless of one’s knowledge of the sitcom. That even if you have never seen a single episode, the storyline is consistently hilarious with comical musical performances in the finale that send everyone over the edge.
“You get to know the characters and their traits almost immediately, so you’ll never feel left out of the loop.”
The show is set for March 16 at 12 p.m. More information at thekeywesttheater.com.
