Photos provided by Murray & Peter Present

Growing older never stopped “The Golden Girls” from living a laugh and cheesecake-filled life to the fullest while tearing up television for an unprecedented run throughout the 1980s and ‘90s.

It turns out their shoulder pads never went out of style thanks to an increasing streak of re-runs and live tribute shows, including “Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue” as the latest to land on Broadway In Chicago.

The Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place is the sight for “Miami’s sassiest seniors” through Sunday, February 25 and again from Tuesday, May 14 to Sunday, May 26, portrayed quite closely vocally and visually, in drag no less, by Ryan Bernier as Dorothy, Vince Kelley as Blanche, Adam Graber as Rose, Christopher Kamm as Sophia, alongside Jason Bowen as both Dorothy’s ex-Stanley and current fling Burt Reynolds (not to be confused with the famous actor of the same name).

Rather than retread a previous episode or camp up some composites like “The Golden Gals Live!” at the Mercury Theater, Robert Leleux wrote an entirely new parody with direction by Eric Swanson following Blanche and Rose’s sex app CreakN, Sophia getting busted for running a retiree drug ring and Dorothy swiping right for a much younger man coincidentally prosecuting her mother.

Though it’s abundantly clear everyone has their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks, the very premise, potentially promising on paper, is where the problems begin, starting with the fact that the super naive and relatively innocent Rose would likely never be a part of such a scheme, nor will the bulk of actual viewers from back in the day be able to relate to or even understand the urban dictionary references regarding today’s hook-up culture.

The plot flies further off the rails when Rose accidentally eats Sophia’s LSD-spiked sweets and Dorothy falls head over heels for Burt, who has a fetish for calling older ladies “mom” and wants them both to leave everything behind to become Broadway stars, while Blanche, who was always getting busy in the episodes, is dateless and bogged down by their business, yet thankfully still quick in the sarcasm department.

In other words, there are many inconsistencies with the iconic characters and this definitely isn’t Grandma’s “Golden Girls,” which isn’t to say there aren’t lots of laughs over the outrageous encounters, but the constant stream of flat out dirty jokes aren’t nearly as clever compared to the original, slightly more veiled double entendres.

Instead, “Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue” is at its best when giving hilarious winks to real-life references, such as Betty White’s time on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and outliving the rest of the cast or Bea Arthur’s roles in “Maude and “Mame,” plus the latter leaving to merely make cameos on their ill-fated spin-off “The Golden Palace.”

The over the top tale certainly doesn’t take away from the talents of the performers, which on opening night included impromptu interactions with the audience, but let’s just say this particular show is perhaps better suited for anyone who won’t blush at texting “dtf” than those looking to leave their Shady Pines rocking chair for a field trip that’s as fitting or funny as they remember.

“Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue” continues at the Broadway Playhouse At Water Tower Place through Sunday, February 25. For additional details, visit GoldenGirlsTour.com and BroadwayInChicago.com.

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