“The Christmas Episodes” premieres at the Curran Theater on BroadwaySF

Hold on to your cheesecake! San Francisco's most anticipated holiday tradition – The Golden Girls Live: The Christmas Episodes – is moving from the intimate setting of the Victoria Theatre to the historic Curran Theatre (445 Geary St., San Francisco). This move represents a significant milestone for the annual production, allowing it to reach a wider audience in a venue known for its rich history and larger capacity. Fans old and new can look forward to reliving their favorite moments in the grand ambience of the Curran Theatre, adding a new level of excitement and nostalgia to the production. The move underscores the show's enduring appeal and ability to captivate audiences with its timeless humor, heartwarming stories and unforgettable characters.

The Golden Girls: The Christmas Episodes will play in limited numbers beginning Thursday, December 5 through Thursday, December 26. Tickets for all performances will be available beginning Thursday, August 1 at 10 a.m. PT at www.broadwaysf.com. Group orders of 10 or more may be placed by calling 888-746-1799, option 3, or emailing [email protected].

“Who would have thought that a drag parody of The Golden Girls, performed in our friend's living room 19 years ago, would now move to the Curran Theater,” says D'Arcy Drollinger. “If The Golden Girls Live wasn't officially a San Francisco Christmas tradition, it now is. As a San Francisco native, it's an absolute dream to bring our show to the Curran – with all of its fabulous history.”

In its 19th year, The Golden Girls Live: The Christmas Episodes takes on four drag legends in two parody Christmas episodes of the hilarious TV show The Golden Girls. Directed by Drollinger, this drag parody and heartfelt tribute to the characters the world has come to know and love features the return of Coco Peru (Dorothy), Matthew Martin (Blanche), D'Arcy Drollinger (Rose) and Holotta Tymes (Sophia). The cast also includes Manuel Caneri, Michael Phillis and Tom Shaw on piano.

Performances of The Golden Girls: Live on Stage began in 2006 in the front parlor of a Victorian mansion in San Francisco's Western Addition. The shows quickly grew in popularity and were performed twice a year – one month in June and one month in December. As The Golden Girls grew in popularity, they moved to larger sold-out spaces at Mama Calizo's Voice Factory and then to CounterPULSE. In 2011, the show moved to the 500-seat Victoria Theater, where it had spent many great years of sold-out performances.

About The Golden Girls

The television series The Golden Girls (which first aired 30 years ago) is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. It starred veteran television actors Beatrice Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty. The Golden Girls received critical acclaim throughout most of its run and won several awards, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series twice. It also won three Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy. Each of the 4 stars received an Emmy Award (from multiple nominations during the series' run), making it one of only 3 sitcoms in the award's history to achieve this. The series was also among the 10 highest rated programs for 6 of its 7 seasons. In 2014, the Writers Guild of America ranked the sitcom 69th on its list of the “101 Best Written Television Series of All Time.”

Biographies of the actors:

Miss Coco Peru (Dorothy) has been a household name in the LGBTQ+ community for over 30 years. Coco began her career in the early 90s as a popular member of the New York cabaret scene. Since then, Coco has received worldwide recognition for her award-winning solo shows and has had an extensive career in film, television and digital work.TV: Dead- Paranormal Park (Netflix), Will and Grace (recurring role), How I Met Your Mother, Arrested Development and two stand-up comedy specials on LOGO. Film: Trick, To Wong Foo… and the cult classic Girls Will Be Girls. Digital: Madame Coco Knows (Logo), Casa Coco (a monthly streaming show during Covid lockdown) and her YouTube videos with over 13 million views.

D'Arcy Drollinger (Rose) was named San Francisco Drag Laureate, the first position of its kind in the world. D'Arcy is an actor, writer, director, choreographer, producer and entrepreneur. Drollinger is the owner and artistic director of OASIS, voted San Francisco's best nightclub/cabaret. D'Arcy has written over a dozen original works including: Bitch Slap, Temple of Poon and Disastrous, and the web series Hot Trash. Drollinger's first feature film, Shit & Champagne, became an instant cult classic and is now streaming on Hulu. D'Arcy is the executive director of the San Francisco-based nonprofit Oasis Arts, which is committed to providing access and resources to LGBTQIA+ artists. Additional credits include: The Producers (first Broadway production) and Hairspray the Musical (first Broadway production). Drollinger is the creator of Sexitude, the body positive, age positive, sex positive dance experience based in San Francisco.

Matthew Martin (Blanche), a native San Franciscan, has brought many stars of the silver screen to stage and screen over the years. He played the role of Bette Davis in the film spoofs Baby Jane?, Hush Up, Sweet Charlotte and as the nefarious villain in D'Arcy Drollinger's Sh*t and Champagne, all available on Amazon Prime. An actor, singer, dancer, director, choreographer and man of many faces and voices, Matthew recently portrayed Joan Crawford in Michael Phillis' comedy The Hand That Rocks the Crawford at the Oasis in San Francisco. Matthew has brought Katharine Hepburn, Judy Garland, Ann Miller, Jane Russell, Susan Hayward, Peggy Lee, Eartha Kitt, Mitzi Gaynor and many other stars to life on stage and screen in Marc Huestis' productions at the Castro Theater and has appeared with John Fisher in several productions at the Rhino Theater. As Blanche Devereaux, he has enjoyed working with his good friends in Golden Girls since 2007.

Holotta Tymes (Sophia) is a female impersonator with a career spanning nearly 30 years that has taken her professionally across the country in many major shows including as the comedy star of the world famous Finocchios in the 90's until their closing in 1999, a North Beach staple for 83 years and the longest running female impersonation show in the world. As an entrepreneur, she has branched out into several businesses including owning her own nightclub, Club 1220 in Walnut Creek. Holotta began her career in theater at a young age, both on stage, touring, and as a writer and director. Her credentials include voice work for cartoons and commercials. As a teenager, she wrote and directed an all-male version of Romeo and Juliet called “Me and Juliet” and toured for many years in the title role of Juliet in the show. In addition to her love of theater, her family, and her beloved Yorkies, she also finds time to raise money for the San Francisco Aids Foundation and the LA Gay and Lesbian Center. She is a proud nine-time AIDS Lifecycle participant! Hello participants, hello roadies!

About BroadwaySF:

BroadwaySF, an ATG Entertainment company, is the Bay Area's premier theater and entertainment company, bringing live theater experiences to San Francisco's Orpheum and Golden Gate theaters. BroadwaySF presents current hits fresh off Broadway, original Broadway cast productions, off-Broadway premieres and unique events that are at the forefront of the national theater scene.

ATG Entertainment: Passion behind the performance

ATG Entertainment is a global leader in live entertainment. Our portfolio of venues includes historic theatres, studio theatres, cinemas, conference spaces and modern live music arenas. ATG Entertainment owns, operates or programs 64 of the world's most famous venues in the UK, USA and Germany, entertaining over 18 million audiences each year.

Through our own production companies and in close collaboration with top producers and promoters, ATG presents over 15,000 live performances annually, including Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Moulin Rouge, The Lion King, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Starlight Express, as well as popular music and comedy shows.

ATG also owns a leading ticketing platform that processes over 18 million tickets each year for musicals, plays, concerts, comedy shows and a variety of other live events. ATGtickets.com attracts over 40 million unique visitors annually. The company is headquartered in London and Woking, with offices in New York and Cologne.

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