Womanly Rewind

The '80s were a great decade for millions of reasons: neon spandex, matching scrunch socks, big crimped hair, hair metal, those decorative plastic things that were used on the bottom of T-shirts. While we love everything that you could possibly imagine about the fashion, the music (hello, Bon Jovi) and the movies (Mannequin and Crocodile Dundee, for starters), what we really loved most were the sitcoms. And Designing Women was at the top of the list. Though you can probably catch reruns on TV Land or something like that, it's best to experience it with a crowd, in person. Starting on Thursday, the Empire Stage is presenting the East Coast premiere of Re-Designing Women. Based on the beloved CBS sitcom that ran from 1986-1993, the show is bringing a modern twist to the series. Playwright Jamie Morris is best-known for his parodies Mommie Queerest and The Facts of Life: The Lost Episode. In his latest project, he's updated the sitcom with new twists and an au courant look. It involves ex-beauty queens, Southern belles, Bravo and its famous reality-producer Andy Cohen, gossip, jealousy, over-the-top drama queens, and all the fixings for some good laughs -- we're not going to say catfights. Re-Designing Women debuted in Dallas last spring, where it enjoyed a seven-week sold-out run. It's showing Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 p.m. though August 3, with the exception of the Fourth of July. On Sundays, it's running at 5 p.m. The cost to attend is $30; make sure to buy tickets in advance. Empire Stage is located at 1140 N. Flagler Drive in Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-678-1496, or visit empirestage.com.
Sun., June 29, 2014