A Shakespearean Send-Up

Out, Darn Spot — Hell in a Handbag

In a departure from Hell in a Handbag’s familiar parodies, this latest viral offering is a send-up of a famous Shakespearean drama. The company is known primarily for scores of hilarious lampoons of satire-worthy films and TV shows, like their recent Golden Girl series. Artistic Director and actor extraordinaire, David Cerda, who usually writes, directs and stars in most of  Handbag’s brilliant productions hands the reins over to one of the other company members, Tyler Anthony Smith. Taking a cue from Mr. Cerda, Smith not only writes this spoof of a women’s television talk show, but directs and stars in the play.

“Lady” Marcia Macbeth, the star of this mock TV show, opens this episode with the happy homemaker hostess greeting her audience, clad in a negligee dripping with blood. Supposedly this installment is a recently-discovered, lost, final episode of Marcia’s long-running lifestyle program for women, “I’m Not a Suppressed Homemaker.” She attempts to explain away all the gore by telling us that she just butchered some poultry, in order to make a chicken pie for her beloved husband, Mackers. Soon there’s a knock at the door and a face in the window: it’s her neighbor, famed author of Valley of the Dolls, Jacqueline Susann. It turns out that Tillie, her pet chicken is, coincidentally, missing!

As this episode of “…Homemaker” progresses, the audience begins to witness Lady Marcia slowly dissolving into a psychotic mess. She appears to be falling down a rabbit hole of confusion, while undergoing a series of mental breakdowns. These are evidenced by the Lady’s incoherent ramblings, her butchered quotes from “Macbeth,” and her non sequitur accounts of strange occurrences and happenings from the past. There’s also the fact that Lesley Gore, Marcia’s celebrated musical guest for today’s episode, has been kidnapped and is tied up in her basement. Then the high jinks ensue. 

Tyler Anthony Smith’s original work lends itself well to the health and safely requirements imposed upon theatres during this pandemic. It’s a filmed television program, interspersed with original live commercials. It wisely, only occasionally, features more than one actor in a scene. The style of this viral production is much more surreal than Handbag’s other offerings. Because it has the hallucinatory quality of a fantastic dream, it often feels choppy and has difficulty holding the viewer’s attention. Perhaps if David Cerda, or another director not as close to the writing, had guided this production, it would’ve had more clarity. But because Mr. Smith is both playwright, director and the leading actor, there’s little chance for much artistic objectivity or distance.

That said, Tyler Anthony Smith’s portrayal of Marcia Macbeth is commanding, often terrifying and frequently quite funny. David Cerda’s Jacqueline Susann showcases his usual comedic campiness, making us wish his character played a bigger role in this story. There are cameo appearances by several other Hell in a Handbag favorites, such as the inimitable Ed Jones as Fish Stick Phil; the forcefully funny Caitlin Jackson as Lesley Gore; Ryan Oates as the precious pubescent Milk Boy; Sydney Genco as Wanda, hawking her Pre-Boiled Water; and David Lipschutz as a smarmy Charles Manson. Michael Rashid and Robert Williams provide delightful voiceover work as the Gellman Brothers and Marcia’s Cameraman. Kudos also go to Stephanie Shaw, for her videography and editing, assisted by Mr. Smith. And Dakota Hughes and Keith Ryan pull out all the stops with their creative makeup and wig designs.

This is another imaginative effort by one of Chicago’s fine storefront theatres to provide new, adult entertainment that can be enjoyed as we continue to quarantine at home, during this pandemic. Although the curtain time is listed as 8:00 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 3:00 on Sundays, be sure to download the link fifteen minutes early. You won’t want to miss the humorous real commercials from the 1960’s. They’re guaranteed to provide some laughs and put viewers in the mood for this period comedy, that’s a real Shakespearean send-up.  

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Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Filmed and streamed via Vimeo February 12-March 21 by Hell in a Handbag Productions.

Tickets are available at handbagproductions.org.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.