Hell in a Handbag Productions Announces its 2026 - 2027 SEASON

1. It’s a Horrible Life - A Golden Girls Musical Parody

The Lost Episodes Series

OPENING DECEMBER 3, 2026

by David Cerda

2. Caged Dames- A Shocking Musical

by David Cerda

OPENING FEBRUARY 18, 2027

3. KHAN!!! The Musical! A Parody Trek-Tacular

Music, Lyrics and Book by Brent Black,

Co-Conceived by Alina Roth 

OPENING AUGUST 14, 2027

CHICAGO (September 2026) – Hell in a Handbag Productions is thrilled to announce it’s 2026/27 season with three camp-tacular shows sure to please lovers of their special brand of theater.

We’re celebrating 25 years of providing Chicago audiences with our unique brand of camp and ridiculousness that has earned them a dedicated following and most recently an induction into the 2026 Chicago LGBT+ Hall of Fame. Season tickets are available here:

Hell in a Handbag Productions opens its new season with the world premiere of 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. After 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 twenty minutes without her.

The show will be presented at Theatre Wit and directed by Ryan Kennedy and also features Kelly Bolton, Grant Drager, Ed Jones, Scott Sawa, Britain Shutters, Danne W. Taylor, and Honey West.

Our second offering is the return of Caged Dames, David Cerda's musical parody of classic women in prison films. Caged Dames tells the gripping tale of an innocent young woman who, through a series of unfortunate events, finds herself in the Calumet City Women's Penitentiary at the mercy of the sadistic prison matron and a colorful cast of characters. Will justice prevail or will the system swallow our heroine whole?

Our final show of the season is out of this world (see what we did there?). Handbag is proud to prrent the Chicago Premiere of KHAN!!! The Musical! (A Parody Trek-tacular) at The Clutch, 4335 N. Western Ave.

This hilarious parody/love letter to the classic Wrath of Khan Star Trek film, with music, lyrics and book by Brent Black, and co-conceived by Alina Roth

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

Hell in a Handbag’s 2026 - 2027 Season:

It’s A Horrible Life ... Golden Girls Lost Episode 

By Artistic Director David Cerda

Director: Ryan Kennedy

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

Location: Theatre Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.

Previews: December 3, 4, 5, 7:30pm

Press Opening: Sunday December 3, 7:00pm

Runs: Thursday – Sunday thru January 4, 2027

Curtain Times: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm; Sunday at 3 pm

Please note: There will be an added performance on Sunday, December 20, 7pm, Tuesday and Wednesday December 22, 23, 29, 30 at 7:30pm. There will be no performance on Thursday and Friday, December 24, 25, 31 and January 1

Caged Dames- A Shocking Musical

Location: Theatre Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.

Previews: February 11, 12, 13, 7:30pm, February 14, 3:00pm

Opens: Thursday, February 18, 7:30pm

Runs: Sunday 3pm, Thursday- Saturday 7:30pm thru March 28, 2027

KHAN!!! The Musical!

A Parody Trek-Tacular

Music, Lyrics and Book by Brent Black

Co-Conceived by Alina Roth

Director and Cast: TBA

Location: The Clutch, 4335 N. Western Ave.

Previews: August 7, 8, 12, 13

Opens: Saturday, August 14, 7:30pm

Runs: Thursday- Saturday, 7:30pm, Sunday, 3pm thru September 19, 2027

*Denotes Handbag ensemble member