Off-Broadway NewsThat Golden Girls Show!—A Puppet Parody Plays Return New York Engagement Starting April 29
The limited run based on the classic sitcom plays Off-Broadway's Theatre Row.
By
Andrew Gans
April 29, 2022
That Golden Girls Show!—A Puppet Parody plays what is billed as its "final engagement" in New York, April 29–May 29 at Off-Broadway's Theatre Row. The limited run follows the recent death of Emmy winner Betty White, who passed away in December 2021 at the age of 99.
White was the last living member of the cast of four who comprised the cast of the hit 1985–1992 TV series about four older women who hilariously shared their lives in a home in Miami, Florida. The situation comedy also featured the late Broadway alums Bea Arthur, Rue McLanahan, and Estelle Getty.
The production parodies classic GoldenGirls moments with a twist—the cast is all played by puppets. The company includes Miranda Cooper as Sophia, Dylan Glick as Dorothy, Lu Zielinski as Blanche, and Samantha Lee Mason as Rose, with swing RjPavel.
That Golden Girls Show! is co-created by Thomas Duncan-Watt, directed by Michael Hull, written by Doug Kmiotek, and has puppets built by Rockefeller Productions.
Producer Jonathan Rockefeller, who wrote, produced, and directed the 2016 production, said in an earlier statement, “We are so excited to bring the show back to New York for its final bow. The show consists of entirely new 'episodes' since its original 2016 Off-Broadway run, and with the recent passing of the legendary Betty White, we felt there is no time like right now to come together, share memories, and celebrate this show that has meant the world to so many fans.”
The National Asian American Theatre Company production is the world premiere of a new modern verse translation of the Shakespeare play from Andrea Thome.
When the play premiered in London in 1912, it was considered controversial, but was praised for its depiction of two young people seeking pleasure before marriage.
The move follows a breakdown in negotiations between the Off-Broadway company and IATSE, through which the company's backstage workers unionized in 2024.
Set in a 1947 Provincetown beach house, the play unfolds over one sultry night as Tennessee Williams and a young Marlon Brando craft A Streetcar Named Desire together.
Partially inspired by Sophocles' Antigone, the show is an intimate exploration of love that goes beyond faith between a queer Pakistani-American man and his deeply devout mother.