Television’s 'Designing Women' find home at Horizon Theatre

ATLANTA - Julia, Suzanne, Mary Jo, and Charlene. You already know their names — and now, television’s "Designing Women" are back!

"Designing Women - 2020: The Big Split" is a stage play written by Linda Bloodworth Thomason, who created the sitcom back in 1986. Onstage now at Atlanta’s Horizon Theatre, the play features the show’s central characters in 2020 Atlanta, as a pandemic and Presidential election dominate the headlines.

"I never really thought about bringing it back. I really don’t like sequels and reboots, but I think the climate sort of begged for it," the writer said. "I started thinking, ‘What would Julia be saying? What would they all be saying now? And just how woke would Suzanne Sugarbaker be?’ You’re going to find out … not very!" 

Katherine LaNasa slides into Dixie Carter’s heels as the fiery Julia Sugarbaker, a role LaNasa played during the show’s world premiere in Arkansas last year.

"I worked with Linda first probably about 15 years ago, and she used to always say, ‘You remind me so much of Dixie. You remind me of Dixie,’" LaNasa said. "So, it’s kind of funny that here we are 15 years later, I’m getting to sort of step into her shoes."

Also starring in the show are Beth Beyer (Suzanne), Joanna Daniels (Mary Jo), Lane Carlock (Charlene), and Tiffany Porter, Eve Krueger, Luis Hernandez, and Robin Bloodworth as a quartet of new characters. 

"Designing Women — 2020: The Big Split" continues at Horizon Theatre through at least Nov. 6, with performances at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays through Fridays, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturdays, and 5 p.m. on Sundays. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.