Displaying items by tag: Caged Dames

Hell in a Handbag Productions is thrilled to announce its 25th Anniversary Season, featuring three "camptacular" shows guaranteed to delight lovers of their signature theater style. For a quarter-century, Handbag has served Chicago audiences its unique brand of camp and ridiculousness – earning a fiercely dedicated following and a recent induction into the 2026 Chicago LGBT+ Hall of Fame. Season subscriptions on are on sale here.

Hell in a Handbag opens its 2026-27 Season this holiday season with the world premiere of Artistic Director David Cerda's* It's a Horrible Life – A Golden Girls Lost Episodes Musical Parody, the first musical installment in the company's long-running Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes parody series. Following a string of holiday mishaps and a disastrous audition for the Miami Senior Center's production of It's a Wonderful Life, Dorothy (David Cerda*) begins to question her very existence. An angel intervenes, revealing that her roommates wouldn't last 20-minutes without her.

Directed by Ryan Kennedy, the cast also includes Kelly Bolton*, Grant Drager*, Ed Jones*, Scott Sawa*, Britain Shutters, Danne W. Taylor* and Honey West. It's a Horrible Life will be presented at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Single tickets are on now on sale here.

The season continues this winter with the return of the Handbag favorite Caged Dames, Artistic Director David Cerda's* musical parody inspired by the women's prison films of the '40s and '50s, particularly Caged starring Eleanor Parker. Originally produced in 2006, Caged Dames tells the story of Mary Parker, an innocent young woman who, through a series of unfortunate events, lands in the big house – the Calumet City, Illinois Women's Penitentiary – and learns all about the cold hard facts of life – the hard way. Caged Dames will also be presented at Theater Wit.

The final show of Handbag's 25^th Anniversary Season is out of this world (see what we did there?) Next summer, Handbag is proud to present the Chicago premiere of KHAN!!! The Musical! (A Parody Trek-tacular) featuring music, lyrics and book by Brent Black and co-conceived by Alina Roth.

This funny and clever parody/love letter is based on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek: The Next Generation with an entirely original score. The beauty of the show is that it's fun for Trekkies, Broadway fans and "normies" alike – and you don't have to know anything about Star Trek to enjoy it! This spaced-out summer romp will be staged at The Clutch, Handbag's intimate boutique space at 4335 N. Western Ave. in Chicago.

Handbag will also continue to present readings and entertainment throughout the season celebrating 25 years of absurdity,

Hell in a Handbag Artistic Director and Co-Founder David Cerda* comments, "I suppose 25 years is a long time for a theatre company. Some days it feels that way. Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday. I'm proud of what we have done as a company and will continue to create art until I get that damn McArthur Genius Award. I want this season to celebrate who we are and continue to bring joy to people."

*Denotes Handbag ensemble member

Hell in a Handbag's 25th Anniversary Season:

December 3, 2026 – January 4, 2027

It's a Horrible Life – A Golden Girls Lost Episodes Musical Parody

By Artistic Director David Cerda*

Directed by Ryan Kennedy

Featuring Kelly Bolton*, David Cerda*, Grant Drager*, Ed Jones*, Scott Sawa*, Britain Shutters, Danne W. Taylor* and Honey West

at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Tickets now on sale here.

February 11 – 28, 2027

Caged Dames

Book and Music by Artistic Director David Cerda

at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago

August 7 – September 19, 2027

KHAN!!! The Musical! (A Parody Trek-Tacular)

Music, Lyrics and Book by Brent Black

Co-Conceived by Alina Roth

at The Clutch, 4335 N. Western Ave., Chicago

About Hell in a Handbag Productions

Hell in a Handbag is dedicated to the preservation, exploration, and celebration of works ingrained in the realm of popular culture via theatrical productions through parody, music and homage. Handbag is a 501(c)(3) Not for Profit. For additional information, visit handbagproductions.org.

Hell in a Handbag Productions has done it again, bringing yet another hilarious musical to the Chicago theatre scene, this time to Theater Wit. Caged Dames is one bad ass campy ride behind bars at a women’s correctional facility where “shocking” is just another day in the life. Writer and Artistic Director, David Cerda, brilliantly lampoons the old 1950s prison flicks, particularly “Caged” starring Eleanor Parker who lead character “Mary Anderson” is clearly created after.

Caged Dames, first produced in 2006, tells the story of innocent-natured Mary Anderson who, by a series of unfortunate events, winds up in the Calumet City Women’s Penitentiary. While in prison she comes across plenty of tough cookies while contending with a shady and sadistic prison matron and a warden who believes she can reach out to the inmates with psychiatric treatment and other unconventional methods. Matron Emerson and Warden Hope do not see eye to eye.

AJ Wright fantastically directs this Jeff Recommended production while each of the main characters bring something thoroughly entertaining to the table. Ed Jones is amazingly funny (as always) as the hard hitting “Matron Emerson” while Sydney Genco as “Big Lorraine” and Elizabeth Lesinski as “Myrtle Price” get constant laughs throughout along with the rest of this talentedly funny cast including lead Elizabeth Morgan as “Mary Anderson”. The show also comes with a live band and a larger than life set that takes its audience inside Calumet’s murky and dank prison walls.

Caged Dames is a fun take on film noir and then some, literally delivering laugh out loud moments nearly nonstop from beginning to end. We are treated to witty song and dance numbers with bite, Cerda’s delightfully genius humor and a smash performance by a very entertaining acting troupe that is considered among the funniest in Chicago. Cerda’s knack for parodying film classics is unbeatable. He has a keen ability to know when to push forward and when to hold back to perfectly capture, in some cases, the tiny nuances of a character while in other cases letting bold personality exaggerations fly to the extreme without going so far over the top the humor is lost.

Tickets are very reasonably priced at just $18-$37 leaving little reason not to see this greatly amusing production. Caged Dames – now Ken Recommended, as well – is running through July 13^th at Theater Wit located at 1229 W. Belmont. For more information visit www.theaerwit.org or call 773-975-8150.

Engaging and uproariously funny, Caged Dames is also plenty affordable, making it a show to enjoy on more than one occasion.