I remember watching old movies as a child in awe with great ladies like Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Bette Davis and Barbara Stanwyck and thinking one day I will be a great business woman slinging out dry witticisms just like them. I also loved watching the "Beach Blanket Bingo" movies and being slightly turned on by all the clean cut kids dancing on the beach around a bonfire in bikinis.

Well, in Trogg! A Musical! I got everything I wanted from those movies plus the absolutely fabulous campy laughs and gender bending ironic twist on those themes that I’ve come to expect from a David Cerda production. Who else can take a 1970 cult classic about a misunderstood caveman and turn it into a clever laugh riot?

David also has a knack for writing genuinely funny and catchy tunes for his musicals and casting equally talented comedic singers and dancers in his shows like his costar, Ed Jones, who plays the hysterically funny Carol Ann to David Cerda’s classic and deliciously powerful and wry, "Joan Crawford". Alex Grelle who plays "Peanut" is also unbelievably funny in his every gesture and has a real knack for physical comedy.

I really enjoyed the entire cast in this, and Julie Bert Nichols, Megan Keach, Elizabeth Lesinski and Andrew Swan also deserve special mention for their great dance skills and comic turns. Props also to the cast choreographer who kept the theatre hopping with choreography that was highly entertaining, making you feel there was something different and interesting to watch on every inch of the stage. Directed by Scott Ferguson, the deadpan, campy and deliciously visual is perfectly blended together, making "Trogg" a fun-filled experience.

Just like it’s well dressed and coiffed predecessors, "Lady X", "Poseidon! An Upside Down Musical" and "Rudolph the Red Hose Reindeer", "Trogg A Musical" may have a few adorable kitschy and skimpy costumes but it is not skimpy on laughs or great music, so you really can’t find a better way to get real bang out of your theatre buck this summer!

"Trogg! A Musical", written by David Cerda with Cherly Snodgrass and Taylor E. Ross, is currently playing at Chopin Theatre (1543 W. Division) through July 16th. For tickets and more information check out Hell in a Handbag Productions website at www.handbagproductions.org or call 800-838-3006.