Displaying items by tag: Mary's Attic

Caitlin Jackson as Bette Midler recreating one wonderful cabaret night at the Continental Bathhouse in New York city is a heartfelt, moving and entertaining way to remember and celebrate Bette's humble and "hungry" beginnings as a performer with the legendary “Tommy” (Tommy Robb) her pianist.

 
I really can't say enough about how talented Caitlin Jackson is as a comedienne and vocalist to be able to carry off this show with such style. Jackson's own vocal stylings are superb and many of the songs were delivered so strongly and such emotional insight into Midler's early struggles as a sexually liberated woman searching for love through her loneliness brought me to tears.

I actually lived in the historic pre-war luxury building, The Ansonia, on 72nd and Broadway showcased in Woody Allen's film Manhattan, for 4 years right after graduating from college. The bathhouse was long gone when I lived there in 1983-1988, but sometimes when I was doing laundry in the cavernous basement of the Ansonia, I imagined I could still hear the sounds of Bette's exquisite voice and the excitement of her loving fans laughing and clapping for her bawdy, yet tender humor.

I think Caitlin Jackson has a marvelous, powerful voice and does Bette Midler's humor and patter (taken almost verbatim from one show) justice without doing a full on impersonation which allows the audience to feel they are seeing the young Bette for the first time. 

I had forgotten just how many of Midler's amazingly moving songs are about her extreme loneliness and heartbreak in love relationships - "Empty Bed Blues," “Long John Blues,” “Do You Wanna Dance?” and, of course, "I Shall Be Released" and "Waiting for my new Friends to Come," so I was really happy to discover that this Christmas Edition wisely pumps up the Joy factor with several fantastic renditions of toe tapping Christmas songs and the ever popular "Superstar," "Baby Please Come Home" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy".

Sydney Genco and Allison Petrillo are a delight as her backup singers and bring their bright sexy dame harmonies and dance moves that really help support Jackson - who otherwise carries every minute of this very demanding vocal and theatrical "one woman show". 'Bette: Xmas' is adapted by both Artistic Director David Cerda and Jackson, and Jackson also directs this production along with Marc LeWallen while music direction is handled by Tommy Robb.

I highly recommend seeing this unique and talent-filled Hell in a Handbag production, which has only been improved from its original Summer form by being lit up with Christmas lights and the Joy of Christmas.

‘Bette: Xmas at the Continental Baths’ is being performed at Mary’s Attic through December 31st.

There are certain theatrical events that I look forward to attending each season and Hell in a Handbag's Holiday shows are always at the top of my list. ‘The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes – The Holiday Edition, Vol 2’ should be on the top of everyone’s list.  

When I'm sitting in the super cozy Mary's Attic filled with Christmas lights watching one of their wonderful camp parodies, I always feel like I am at home and in the company of great friends and family. This time I love everything about this show, including the opening when host Lori Lee (sidekick Flo) leads the audience in singing the theme song from Golden Girls TV show set in sunny Miami where I grew up. 

Thank you for being a friend.

Travel down the road and back again.

Your heart is true, you're a pal and a confidant

.And if you threw a party,

invited everyone you knew.

You would see the biggest gift would be from me

and the card attached would say,

thank you for being a friend.

This year’s 'Lost Episodes,' written with cheeky humor- as well as great compassion by Artistic Director David Cerda has especially sweet plotlines that remind me again how lucky one is to have friends and family around you... particularly during your golden years. 

Ed Jones as Rose Nylund, who still believes in Santa Claus is a scene stealer, as always delivers his spot on and totally endearing portrayal of the character made famous by the still "golden" Betty White. 

Grant Drager as Blanche delivers the sass and unabashedly sexy spice that shows even golden girls still have sexual needs that they should not be ashamed of! David Cerda as Dorothy and Ryan Oates as her mother Sophia bring home the dry humor that makes me laugh out loud every time. But I am also reminded of the true bond between mother and daughter when Sophia breaks her poker face and gently asks her daughter, "What's wrong pussycat?"  

Directed and choreographed by the very talented Stevie Love, each scene has a huge variety of great physical comedy and lighting surprises that make you wish the play was longer. Lori Lee is the host of the evening and gets acquainted with the audience between episodes with fun Golden Girls trivia that includes prizes for the audience members. Having the house lights up and interacting with Lori and others as they try to guess the answers lets you actually get to mingle with the audience you are sitting in and is a lovely part of the show.

If you've already been to a Hell in a Handbag Production and are addicted to their special brand of camp humor and music like I am, you already know how unique and fun their shows are. If you haven't been to one yet, ‘The Holiday Edition, Vol 2’ of Golden Girls is a PERFECT production to attend. 

Tis the season to curl up on one of the comfy couches at Mary's Attic with a hot toddy in hand and have a long, hard... laugh with your favorite family of friends! 

‘The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes – The Holiday Edition, Vol 2’ is being performed at Mary’s Attic through December 29th. For more information visit www.handbagproductions.org.

I saw this adorable show on the night of the recent APRIL snowstorm in Chicago and, as per usual, the Fab Four - Dorothy, Rose Blanche and Sophia - instantly warmed up my night with explosive laughter! 

“Golden Girls Vol. 3” features two great episodes, the first being "Caged Miami Heat" - where all of the Golden Girls get thrown in jail for possibly killing their cook, Coco. The second episode is “Murder on the Sicilian Express,” a delightful Murder She Wrote/Golden Girls crossover episode which include the fabulous real life singing and dancing skills of Hell in a Handbag star and director David Cerda as Dorothy, Ed Jones as Rose, Ryan Oates as Sophia and Grant Trager as Blanche. 

Ed Jones as Rose was especially daffy and blonde on this night and stole the show with one spot on impersonation of Betty White after another - just divine!

As with all Handbag productions, the laughs are rapid fire thanks to hilarious scripts and the talented cast members that just keeps getting better and better with every show. This team just never stops pumping out ridiculously funny productions, “Golden Girls Vol. 3” coming fresh off a fantastic run of Poseidon! The Musical” at Edge Theatre.

 
If you haven't been to Mary's Attic in Andersonville to see one of the “Golden Girls” productions, you are missing out on the best camp in Chicago. Hell in a Handbag is always a good bet to give more bang for your buck in the theater because every show they do is FILLED with great laughs, fun audience interaction, and a nice relaxing intermission to change your Depends, or grab more drinks and delicious food from the bartenders and staff at Mary’s Attic and Hamburger Mary's.

Highly Recommended for good, clean, naughty fun! 

“Golden Girls Vol. 3” is being performed at Mary’s Attic in Andersonville through August 31st. For more info on what could be the hottest ticket this summer, visit www.handbagproductions.org.

When we think holidays in Chicago, we think ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Goodman, Joffrey’s ‘Nutcracker’, Christkindlmarket, Zoo Lights at Lincoln Park Zoo, Winter Wonderfest at Navy Pier and the list goes on and on. We should count our lucky stars, Chicago has a lot to offer this time of year. But perhaps one of the most fun holiday traditions (one I certainly look forward to each year) is Hell in a Handbag’s annual Christmas musicals and this year is no exception. Parody master David Cerda and company, who have brought us such hits in the past as ‘Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer’ and ‘Christmas Dearest’, keep the tradition rolling this year with ‘Snowgirls’. You guessed it – a lampoon on the 90’s cult classic Showgirls.

It’s a tough, dog-eat-dog world out there for reindeer who want to make it to the top of the exotic dancing game. Making a name for yourself in local strip dives is one thing, but Snowmi Malone has her sights set much higher. She’s looking to make it in crowned jewel of the exotic revue world – the North Pole. But to do that, not only does opportunity need to present itself, she needs to be the best she can be. Ice Crystal Connors, the star dancer and Queen of the Scene might have something to say about that.

In “Snowgirls’ we are taken on a journey through the sleazy underworld of the North Pole in a hilarious adventure that rings the holidays in Handbag style.

Directed and Choreographed by Jon Martinez, with book by Derek Van Barham and Music by David Cerda, the world premiere holiday production of “Snowgirls the Musical’ comes with its Handbag stamp and certainly holds its own to other past holiday productions by this talented theatre company. As outrageous, envelope-pushing and downright funny as one would hope for, Hell in a Handbag has yet another hit show on their hands thanks to its witty and devilishly comical script and the company’s skilled ability for casting just the right people in just the right parts.

Harper Leander is adorable in the role of Snowmi where she not only gets the chance to display her well-timed physical humor and droll line delivery, she even gets to bust a few moves as the bratty stripper who will make it at any cost. Handbag favorite Sydney Genco as Ice Crystal Connors is terrifically cast as the top drawing attraction of the North Pole’s exotic dance scene. Conniving and ruthless when need be, Grenco gives us a brilliant Gina Gershon parody that is simply hysterical. So many reindeer so many performances that should be recognized. Patrick Stengle as a grown up and kinda hardcore Herbie (the dentist wannabe in ‘Rudolph’) delivers many laugh out moments as does Max McKune as shady club manager Rudolph (he apparently didn’t grow up as innocent as we thought he would) and Terry McCarthy, who has been with Hell and a Handbag since its inception, as club owner and tough guy, Tony.

Other familiar faces make this production the success that it is with their own stand out performances including Grant Dagger (Zip), Brittani Yawn (Jolly) and Erin Daly as Mrs. Claus.

‘Snowgirls’ is holiday fun and can be enjoyed whether you’ve seen Showgirls or not (but it does help to have seen it beforehand). Go see what everyone is buzzing about and see why Hell in a Handbag just might be the funniest theatre company in Chicago.

‘Snowgirls the Musical: The Other Side of the North Pole’ is being performed at Mary’s Attic through December 30th. For tickets and/or more show information visit www.handbagproductions.org.

Hell in a Handbag is at it again, this time following up last summer’s smash hit The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes with a Volume 2 that might even be funnier than its predecessor, if that’s even possible. Last year, Handbag’s Golden Girls was so successful it added a second run at Stage 773 after an already extended run while at Mary’s Attic in Andersonville.

Like last time, the show opens with that ever-so-popular theme song, "Thank You for Being a Friend" that is eagerly sung along with by audience members.

I have to stop right here and THANK David Cerda "for being a friend"!

I grew up in Miami, Florida, watching The Golden Girls on TV with my mother who had just returned to the work force after a 30-year hiatus at First American Bank after the men in our family had left our home due to tragic disability, genetic Ataxia (cerebellar atrophy).

As two gals trying to keep a household afloat on our own, the recurring themes in the show about a woman's right to independence and struggling to make ends meet, trying to date again after divorce etc. all really gave my mom, Joanne, and I a sense that we were not alone in our struggles, not by a long shot. In fact, my mother Joanne Newmark-Katz, actually interviewed Bea Arthur and other stars like Ricardo Montalban back in the day as an English/ Journalism Major from Purdue University! My mom fondly remembers speaking to Bea Arthur backstage at The Coconut Grove Playhouse where Bea actually gave her a kiss on the cheek and ever so graciously thanked her!

Now, flash forward to 2018 and my mother Joanne is 84-years-old, a true Golden Girl and we are BOTH fighting for her life and financial well-being again. 

For me, in this totally stressful, very real "episode" of our lives, getting to have a few hours of superb acting and comedy by Jeff Award Nominee and dear friend, David Cerdas' Hell in a Handbag ensemble is like two hours in paradise, because in these turbulent times particularly trying for the elderly and disabled -- laughter is still the BEST medicine. 

Hell in a Handbag Artistic Director David Cerda wrote the show which parodies the famed 1980’s sitcom where four women who share a home in a Miami Senior Community are not ready to stop living life to the fullest. The show, still widely popular today and followed by a whole new generation, is the perfect target for Cerda’s rich and pinpoint lampooning.

Cerda again takes the treasured TV show to new heights, his knack for delicious camp blazing its way to what should be yet another summer hit for Handbag.     

Blanche is played by Grant Drager (A.J. Wright handling the role last year). Drager encapsulates Blanche’s flirty, southern charm with just the right amount of cheekiness and is stupendous in the role. Adrian Hadlock returns as Dorothy’s quick-witted mother who wisely and desperately needs to appease her roommates or be sent back to the dreaded "Nursing home". Hadlock trades jabs with dry as a martini wit and, as last year, steals a good share of scenes delivering razor-sharp barbs that are perfectly timed in Cerda’s hilarious script. 

Dear, sweet and naïve Rose is played once again by Ed Jones who is sheer perfection in the role.  Jones’ flawless timing and subtle expressions make Rose as endearing as she is funny. And Cerda as Dorothy? Priceless! Each add their own spice to the entrée but it is Cerda, Jones, Drager and Hadlock together that makes this production a veritable feast for the eyes, ears and arthritic funny bones!   
 
With every Handbag production comes a hysterical ensemble and Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes Vol. 2 is no exception. A series of hilarious performances are also offered by Chazie Bly, Michael Rashid and Michael Miller with fun-tastically talented ensemble member, audience wrangler and hostess, Lori Lee. 
 
Excellent stage and costume design, smart humor, a talented cast and a side-splittingly funny script make Golden Girls Vol. 2 an all-out, highly uniquely fun experience.
 
Golden Girls' Lost Episodes are more relevant than ever because they wisely combine humor with a cascade of compassionate understanding of each woman's precarious lifestyle when reaching middle or old age and the very real desperation that ensues when four women try to keep a household afloat in a man's world. David Cerda really comprehends and makes funny the things that push mother/daughter love and girlfriend to girlfriend love to its limits. 
 
The adventure continues! Created by popular demand, Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes Vol. 2 is as uproariously funny as ever. Perhaps (fingers crossed) a Vol.3 is on the horizon in what will hopefully become an incredibly fun summer tradition.
 
Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes Vol. 2 is being performed at Mary’s Attic in Andersonville through September 7th. Visit http://www.handbagproductions.org/ for more info. 

This is Hell in a Handbag’s 15th Season and yet every year I look forward more than ever to seeing a Christmas show that's as irreverent and funny as "Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer". This year Handbag's Artistic Director and writer of the original, and yearly refreshed, Christmas production, David Cerda, delivers not only his much beloved impression of Gladys Dasher with ruby red lips, jet black bouffant and commanding personality reminiscent of Joan Crawford, he also delights the audience with a spot-on characterization of Ivanka Trump (pronounced Iwanka). Cerda is a delight in this new role playing the mush-mouthed, often victimized, blonde wife of Santa Claus.

There is a wonderful rewrite of the entire opening of " Rudolph" this year regarding Trump and Iwanka and how they have affected the Gay community that resounded well with the audience and got huge laughs of recognition and applause. 

"Rudolph” is a fabulous LGBT version of the old tale where Rudolph is left out of playing reindeer games and is bullied mercilessly because he is too effeminate to pull Santa's sleigh. Along the way we meet many other characters who've been marginalized as well, like the toys banished to the island of badly built toys and even Rudolph's girlfriend Clarice who is secretly a bi-sexual feminist who is perfectly happy with Rudolph as her friend no matter what he likes to wear out in the snow, red hose and heels notwithstanding. 

There was a mix of old and new faces from Hell in a Handbag’s extremely talented singers and dancers from their  revolving base of performers and I really felt like I was seeing the finest lineup and the most energetic, funny cast of this production in past years with Graham Thomas Heacock as Rudolph, Kristopher Bottrall as Herbie, Allison Petrillo as Jane Donner, Chase Wheaton-Werle as Tom Donner, Michael Hampton as Santa, Tommy Bullington as Mrs. Claus, Sydney Genco as Elfina, Colin Funk as Spike, Michael Rawls as Score, Josh Kemper as Coach Comet, Lori Lee as Yukon Cornelia, Terry McCarthy as Connie Blitzen, David Cerda as Gladys Dasher, Christea Parent as Clarice and Matthew Sergot as Sam the Snowman.

Given that this year full of Trump's insane negativity and lawlessness is without a doubt the most frightening, turbulent New Year’s and Christmas ever for all unique individuals, from little girls to grown men and women of every race, gender and religion. Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer is the type of heart lifting entertainment full of really great laughs and gags from beginning to end that Chicago audiences need more than ever!

I highly recommend this classic hilarious tale about being who you really are and fighting back against evil that conspires to divide and punish people based on their perceived frailties for EVERYONE. If you've seen it before you must see it again because this year’s script and cast of Rudolph really delivers the heart and the funny with a comic ferocity like never before.

With a hilarious script and songs that are as relevant to our current political climate as they are funny, "Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer" is being performed at Mary’s Attic through January 1st. More information on this great Chicago holiday tradition can be found at www.handbagproductions.org.

Fun! Funny! Funnier! If you are fan of The Golden Girls TV show, then run, don't walk, to see Hell in a Handbag’s The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes at Mary's Attic before its special, recently extended, run is over. The show opens with a heart lifting, hug your best friend singalong of the sitcom’s famed theme song, "Thank you for being a Friend" - in its fantastic entirety! 

Plenty of fans arrive in costume to see the show and in between the hysterically funny, bawdy, R-Rated "Lost Episodes” theatre goers are entertained by Golden Girls trivia contests with fun prizes, so live it up. 

Hell in a Handbag Artistic Director David Cerda wrote the show which parodies the famed 1980’s sitcom where four women who share a home in a Miami Senior Community are not ready to stop living life to the fullest. Cerda is fantastic as the deadpan Dorothy even with the use of just one syllable – “Mah!" David, who recently won a well-deserved special Jeff Award (Congrats!) for all of his amazing contributions to theatre in Chicago with his much beloved production company Hell in a Handbag, evokes laughs with every shoulder-padded shrug and anchors the show with his dead-on funny accuracy in the role of Dorothy that actress Bea Arthur made famous. 

I don't know how he does it but every single show David writes is unique, displays every cast members talents superbly, heartfelt and funnier than the last. In this show, he takes the iconic TV show and brings it to a new level, creating hysterically campy “lost episodes” that one could only wish took to the air during the series’ heyday.  

Blanche is played with true southern sex appeal by A. J. Wright. Wright is mind-blowingly accurate in his portrayal of the flirty man-eater. Wright is so convincing, I had to occasionally close my eyes and just listen with delight, because I really felt he was a woman channeling Rue Clanahan, not a man in drag. The razor-sharp tongued Sophia played by Adrian Hadlock is also right on the mark with his dry as a martini, machine gun-like delivery of every single one-liner.

Ed Jones rounds out this fearsomely funny foursome with his always gentle, never forced portrayal of the delicate and ditzy, Rose, often forced to do and say indelicate things! Handbag favorite Ed Jones is - as ever, roaringly funny and true to Betty White's every gesture, even to her dazed and confused looks of naivety. As in all of Handbag’s productions, Golden Girls is equipped with a stellar ensemble, this show including hilarious performances by Chazie Bly, Kristopher Bottrall, Grant Drager, Lori Lee, David Lipschutz, Terry McCarthy, Michael S. Miller and Robert Williams.

Not ignoring the other fine touches that make this such a fun experience, Myron Elliot’s costumes and Keith Ryan's wigs and makeup are a laugh riot in themselves and really help each actor achieve the eerie accuracy that makes this a true golden fest for fans of the show. 

David Cerda and I have some kind of strange psychic connection in that his shows always seem to coincide in some synchronistic way with things going on in my life and family, and Golden Girls was just what I needed to see. My mother and I lived in Miami Florida throughout my whole young adult life and the week I saw this production of Golden Girls (one of my mom's favorite shows to watch with me) she was in the hospital and I was extremely stressed and worried about losing her. When David says as Dorothy about her mother Sophia, "She's probably thinking back to her youth in the fields of Sicily," and then sighs, "God, I'd wish she'd just die," I had to let out a cathartic laugh because it was just such a perfectly funny, subtext of compassion coupled with frustration of the statement of all mother/daughter love when stretched to its limits. I loved it. Naturally, I don’t wish such a thing, but Cerda’s writing has a way of somehow finding love and humor in even such a statement.  

I didn't stop laughing or smiling from start to finish of this uproariously funny take on the Golden Girls that no fan should miss. Even if you are not familiar with the show, it’s worth checking out. Don't worry, you’ll pick it up quickly. And like many Hell in a Handbag shows, there is an intermission long enough to stretch, grab a drink and use the restroom which allows you to really allow the funniness of the first act to sink in. Increasingly I find myself enduring 90-minute or longer shows with no intermission as if the audience is trapped in some kind of marathon endurance test of our concentration and bladders! But not at Hell in a Handbag shows, which proves yet again that David Cerda is in tune with everything a Golden Girl needs to truly enjoy a laugh packed night out with your best friends. Much Thanks to David Cerda for "being a friend!”

Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes is being performed at Mary’s Attic in Andersonville on Wednesday and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m now extended through September 16th. Saturday dates have been added for August. Tickets are $20, but are just $16 if purchased in advance. To purchase tickets or to find out more about this hilarious show wonderfully directed by Shade Murray, visit handbagproductions.org.

Set in the 1930's, this melodrama has all the ingredients you'd expect, sex, drugs, murders and the quick, clever banter of women fighting for their lives in a film noir-colored seedy underworld of a dance hall/nightclub/whorehouse.

In the latest Hell in a Handbag production "Lady X - The Musical", director and writer/composer David Cerda plays Scarlet stunningly dressed in delicious blood-red with all of the oomph, hilarity and confident power of his Joan Crawford character. Cerda really is the sun around which all of the talented planets in his cast revolve and he does it with great force and superb dry humor that trumps all and anchors the show with fear of the ultimate female "mob boss" that Hell in a Handbag fans have come to love and expect. Like Cerda says at the end of the show, "Hell in a Handbag is not just a theatre company it's a cult!" 

Christea Parent as Mary Dwight, is Lady X whose innocent younger sister comes to town to finish school but ends up tragically caught in the champagne filled "make it rain" dollars mentality. Christea Parent is unbelievably on point as the leader of the dames, the only one with a real purpose in life and the brains enough to stay out of the clutches of the gross "john” and the abusive bosses who take over the club by murdering the previous owner. 

Christea Parent, with the help of Kate Setzer Kamphausen’s fabulous period costumes, Keith Ryan’s hysterical and yet perfectly designed and coiffed wigs and Sydney Genco’s detailed makeup designs, (right down to the different types of fake eyelashes for each character) dominates the show with her singing, dancing and fast-talking character reminiscent of Barbara Stanwyck. I was dazzled by her mastery of the period acting while keeping her character both funny and deserving of compassion at every level.  

Almost all of my Hell in a Handbag fave performers were featured well in this production like Ed Jones, as Estelle, the "oldest whore" in the bunch. Jones is hysterical as always with his slightly breathy, tongue-in-cheek, sympathetic "grandmom” character of the group. Estelle, despite her age has found her perfect baby boy lover in the young Val, played with adorable youthful energy by another Handbag regular, handsome Chazie Bly. Their duet, “A Lovely Pair”, got some of the biggest laughs in the show's numbers and the perfect casting made their May/December romance absolutely understandable and even enviable. 

Caitlin Jackson, who blew me AWAY as “Bette, LIVE at the Continental Baths” a few months ago at Theater Wit is Gabby. Her aging and wise Betty Boop-style character is fully formed, lovable and again Jackson brought down the house with her amazing voice during the showstopper “Flim Flam Floozy”.

 Elizabeth Lesinski another Hell in a Handbag regular does an amazing job in her role, her comedic touch as perfect as ever. 

Wide-eyed director Steve Love enters the show to co-star as Betty Dwight, Mary’s naive kid sister who Mary is trying to keep in school and off the streets. Love is a breath of fresh air in the snake pit of despair these women swim in as the hopeful innocent, tap dancing her way into the audience’s hearts. 

Laura Coleman, one of the women playing a man characters is really funny and sharp as Frank Gorham, the attorney seeking justice of his own while Adrian Hadlock, also plays several characters and is really ingenious in his multi-layered portrayals of Crandall, Louie and the Judge.

“Lady X” has so many fun and wonderful twists and turns, it would be shame to spoil them all by giving them away, but suffice it to say David Cerda has once again created a whole new world all his own where the lines between male and female, innocent and guilty are marvelously blurred to show the vulnerability of all humankind when pressed to fight for their lives, livelihood and self-respect.

Cerda’s play is full of belly laughs from beginning to end and contains several very touching song numbers, like white picket fence, flower-filled "The House on the Hill", which all the women dream of retiring to, the song rounding out the hilarity with genuine sentiment. 

"Lady X" is destined to become another Hell in a Handbag hit.  

I highly recommend “Lady X"  for ladies , gentlemen and flim flam floozies everywhere seeking to escape from the horrors of the current political landscape facing the LGTBQ community and instead be surrounded by a joyous, celebration of strong women from all walks of life and the dangers they faced in the 30's as well as the dangers they face now.

“Lady X - The Musical" is being performed at Mary’s Attic in Andersonville through June 17th. For more show information or to purchase tickets visit http://www.handbagproductions.org/.   

Question: Is Shakespeare really that sexual?

Answer: Yes, as it turns out. 

Fifty Shades of Shakespeare not only proves that the plays of William Shakespeare carry some very heavy sexual undertones, which is fantastic, but also provides an insight towards gender fluidity and sexuality. This is all done by using Shakespeare to help talk about sex. 

In its fourth year, Fifty Shades of Shakespeare is brought to you by the (re)discover theatre. It is the brainchild of Jess Shoemaker and the (re)discover theatre. 

Upon arrival to Mary’s Attic, I grabbed a drink from the bar in back and found a seat near the front in the second row. I wanted to be as close to the action as possible because I had no idea what I was in for, but was very intrigued to say the least. Once I took my seat I was greeted by a cast member and regaled with an excerpt from a grocery store romance novel. That immediately set the tone for the night. Not much soon after that I was asked if I would like to contribute to the “Box of Secrets” that actually wasn’t very secret. The idea is this: you are handed a piece of paper that has a question. You write down your answer with as much or as little detail as you want. Then during intermission and different breaks someone from the cast reads responses that have been handed in. My question was, “What was the dirtiest thing you’ve ever said in bed?” I accepted the challenge and answered truthfully and honestly. Unfortunately, my response was not read to the audience. Bummer. 

The show itself consists of twelve scenes, all from the Shakespeare canon. These are the greatest hits, if you will. The cast is made up of only four (yes four) actors: Amelia Bethel, Tanner Bradshaw, William Delforge, and Madeline Moeller. That means that these four are playing 23 different roles. However, the big twist is that the roles are chosen at random, by the audience, before the show begins. The cast switches roles every evening, making each evening a new experience. 

If you’re already familiar with Shakespeare, then buckle up because shit gets real the instant they dim the lights. It is a show that provides nonstop laughs and energy for two hours. This is accomplished by the random casting of roles that explore and break down not just gender fluidity, but sexual expression. It does not matter if it is two men portraying Romeo and Juliet or having Macbeth played by a woman and Lady Macbeth played by a man. Or even turning a scene where two men dabble in some light-ish bondage. I should point out that Shakespeare’s plays were originally performed by all male casts.

This show breaks down the beauty of love into its most raw and animalistic instincts. Shakespeare just provides the rich subtext so the performers can really unleash. You may walk out of the show unsure what you just saw, but you will have been entertained to the fullest.  Fifty Shades of Shakespeare speaks to a new day and age that we, the majority of society, are entering a new kind of sexual revolution where nothing is off limits. And it’s for the better. 

Fifty Shades of Shakespeare is playing at Mary’s Attic from now through February 27th on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday evenings at 8:00 p.m. If you don’t have plans yet or are the last-minute planning type, then I would suggest checking out their special Valentine's Day show Tuesday night February 14th. Tickets can be reserved by clicking here. 

Are you old enough to remember Saturday morning cartoons? I mean when there was no other place or time on TV to watch three hours of children's cartoon TV shows? Well, if you are, like me, you'll remember the "Scooby Doo" show whose lead character was a talking dog who rolled with the teenage mystery solvers from Mystery Inc. 

In "Skooby Don't" written by David Cerda, Artistic Director of the wonderful Hell In a Handbag Production Company, every hysterical aspect of the original show is poked at, like the fact that Scooby and his pal Shaggy both look and act like stoners the whole time and that the whole gang runs screaming in fear every time they finally confronted a ghost/monster.

But Cerda as always, takes a funny satire and turns it into a touching and even educational LGBTQ production that leaves the whole audience with something interesting and uplifting to ponder over long after they've left the theater. 

In order to stay safe of copyright laws the characters names have been slightly changed to even funnier names. Daphne is called Daffy played delightfully by ensemble member Elizabeth Lesinsky, smart and sassy Velma is now Velva (or “Vulva”) also very funnily played by Caitlin Jackson. I recently reviewed Ms. Jackson in her role as Bette Midler and she has an AMAZING singing voice as well. Fred is Fredd with two D’s, Shaggy becomes Scaggy and Scooby Doo trades in his “C” for a “K,” becoming Skooby and instead becomes “Don’t”. Cerda even jokes at one point about the subtle changes.

When Velva decides to take the whole gang to her aunt's house for a reunion vacation her aunt turns out to be Cher! Cher played by ensemble member Ed Jones is joined by two famous contemporary house guests Caitlyn Jenner (Chazie Bly), Kris Jenner (Cerda) and Cher’s disgruntled bellboy/son Chaz (Caitlin Boho). With this wild cast of characters only Cerda could put together, it doesn’t take long before a zany mystery ensues and the gang quickly becomes detectives.

This quartet of famous faces was absolutely a collection the funniest bits in the whole show. Ed Jones makes the BEST, funniest, tongue to lip touching Cher I have ever seen! David Cerda as Kris Jenner and Chazie Bly as Caitlynn Jenner have all the gestures and voice patterns down pat while Caitlin Boho who plays a plump, unshaven Chaz, had me laughing out loud with almost every single line she delivered. 

Kudos and credit must go to their AMAZING costumer Kate Setzer Kamphausen and Hell in a Handbag's wig master Keith Ryan because their makeup and hair fit EVERY character to a tee! 

People ask me why I enjoy Cerda's characters so much, enough to go to every production they put on without question and the reason is simple. They are always brilliantly funny. Add the fact that if these men and women can do such a great job of playing full on "dress up" and do it with such care and relish, it always makes me feel that SOMEONE else understands how hard it is to be a woman!

Cerda's characters don't make fun of women, they celebrate women and men of all kinds, sizes and shapes and even though they have to wear a lot of makeup, wigs and six inch heels they do it because they ENJOY doing all the things they associate with being women. David Cerda has a wonderful and blessed knack for creating female characters in his plays, even those beautiful women with "resting bitch face" - like his very popular Joan Crawford - to be  worthy of love and respect by the end of each show.

The entire cast including the supporting roles were dynamite. Cerda, Jones and Lesinsky just seems to get funnier and funnier with each production, this time capturing the precise essence of the vain and ditzy Daffy. In Skooby Don’t, Cerda puts forth yet another all-around stellar ensemble, perfectly casting the Mystery Gang and guest characters. 

I highly recommend this fun, campy yet sympathetic piece, which is kind of like a transgender Halloween party! Skooby Don’t is currently being performed at Mary’s Attic in Andersonville. For tickets, showtimes and more show information, visit www.Handbag productions.org.