Hell in a Handbag’s CHRISTMAS DEAREST Runs Nov 28 – Jan 2 at Mary’s Attic

Everybody’s favorite holiday bitch is back and she’s meaner then ever in the return of CHRISTMAS DEAREST, Hell in a Handbag Productions’ Joan Crawford-infused parody of A Christmas Carol by David Cerda, directed by Steve Love. CHRISTMAS DEAREST will play November 28, 2015 – January 2, 2016 at Mary’s Attic, 5400 N. Clark St. in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood. Tickets go on sale Thursday, October 1, 2015 at www.handbagproductions.org. The press opening is Friday, December 4 at 7:30 pm.

David Cerda returns as Joan Crawford with co-star Ed Jones as Carol Ann Crachit, Joan’s trusted maid and confidante. The cast also includes: Kristopher Bottrall, Grant Drager, Chad Ingold, Jamie Smith and Caitlin Jackson as Bette Davis.

T’was the night before Christmas and MGM’s biggest star, Miss Joan Crawford, is filming the title role in “Oh Mary,” a splashy new musical biography about The Virgin Mary, Mother of God. Poor Joan needs a drink. And a REWRITE! Jesus has all the best lines, the costumes aren’t sexy at all, and the guy playing Joseph is a big clumsy oaf! If they will just do it Joan’s way maybe she can salvage the picture. Join Handbag as Joan visits her shady past, her appalling present and her eye-popping future – in a tale of glamorous redemption set to music.

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Title: CHRISTMAS DEAREST

Written by: David Cerda

Directed by: Steve Love

Cast: Kristopher Bottrall, (Young Christina), Chazie Bly (Frank)  David Cerda (Joan Crawford), Grant Drager, Chad Ingold (Frank/LB Mayer) Ed Jones (Carol Ann Crachit), Caitlin Jackson (Bette Davis) and Jamie Smith (Vernita)

Location:  Mary’s Attic, 5400 N. Clark St., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Saturday, November 28 at 7:30 pm, Sunday, November 29 at 6:30 pm and

Thursday, December 3 at 7:30 pm

Press performance: Friday, December 4 at 7:30 pm

Regular run:  Saturday, December 5, 2015 – Saturday, January 2, 2016

Curtain Times: Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 6:30 pm. Please note: there will be added performances on Wednesday, December 16 at 7:30 pm andWednesday, December 23 at 7:30 pm. There will be no performances on Sunday, December 6, Thursday, December 24 (Christmas Even), Friday, December 25 (Christmas Day) andSaturday, December 26.

Tickets: Previews: $16. Regular run: $22 in advance (Wednesday and Thursdays); $27 in advance (Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays); $30 at the door. Limited VIP reserved seating with drink $40. Tickets go on sale Thursday, October 1, 2015 at www.handbagproductions.org.

CREATIVE BIOGRAPHIES

David Cerda (Playwright) is a co-founder and Artistic Director of Hell in a Handbag Productions and has written, Scream, Queen, Scream!, POSEIDON! An Upside Down Musical, Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer, Caged Dames, Lady X, SCARRIE The Musical, Christmas Dearest, The Birds, Lady X, and a few others. As an actor or he has worked with A Red Orchid Theatre, The New Colony, Corn Productions and Sweetback Productions. Cerda was also was a lyricist an untitled animated feature film for Amazon Studios.

Steve Love (Director) is a 2015 Jeff Award Nominee, honored for his choreography of Caged Dames at Theater Wit. A Chicago transplant from Maryland, Steve has worked as a performer, choreographer and director throughout the East Coast, the Midwest and in the Caribbean with Disney Cruise Lines. Most recently, Steve was seen onstage as Stanley in Stanley in the Name of Love (The New Colony), and in MIRACLE! (Dan Savage’s parody of The Miracle Worker with Hell in a Handbag Productions), where he portrayed that famous deaf-blind Drag Queen, Helen Stellar. Other memorable roles include the Emcee in Cabaret, Bobby in A Chorus Line, and Dickey in the original Baltimore production of The Awesome 80’s Prom! (Dir. by Tony Award winner Ken Davenport). Steve has choreographed and performed around town, but is making his Chicago directorial debut with Christmas Dearest.

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 Corporation.