Your Chicago Guide’s tickets for three to the press viewing of The Golden Girls Save Xmas courtesy of Hell in a Handbag Productions.
Hell in a Handbag Productions kicked off its 2023/24 season with The Golden Girls Save Xmas – A Lost Episodes Parody, featuring an all-new holiday tale by Artistic Director David Cerda, and directed by Frankie Leo Bennett. Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, Sophia, along with their whacky friends and relatives are now on stage for the new set of their holiday antics at The Hoover-Leppen Theatre at The Center on Halsted. The adventures continue through December 30th, 2023.
Blanche accidentally incapacitates a visitor named Nick (Who is this Nick anyway?.. Patience, grasshopper…) on the night before Christmas! Can the girls save the holidays in time for all the children of the world to get their toys on Christmas morning? Join Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia in a very merry Miami romp, that combines Handbag’s signature biting humor with a heart as big as the whole Eli’s cheesecake. The production features original cast members David Cerda, Grant Drager, Ed Jones and Ryan Oates as the Geriatric Fab Four.
The Lost Episodes of The Golden Girls has become my personal holiday tradition of late. I look forward to this production every year. The Geriatric Fab Four are portrayed with love and care and kindness, all things the world could use more of during the holidays. The atmosphere at the show is always festive, the set sparkles, the bar is stocked, and the laughs are plentiful. From the opening song that inspires me to belt out: “Thank you for being a friend…” along with the cast members, to the photo session with the girls at the end (proceeds from which go to charity), I enjoy every moment. Serious theatre this is not. But the entertainment value is off the charts!
Without giving too much away, I will mention that this year’s production features a ripped, muscular Santa Claus. But it is the stylish, martini-sipping diva Mrs. Claus and her faithful elves Kyle and Happy that steal the show. Their antics are punctuated by roars of laughter from the audience. The show has everything you might expect from a holiday production: magical sleigh, sequins costumes, jokes galore, and time travel. It helps to note that the Geriatric Fab Four are dead ringers for the real characters, and somewhere in comedy heaven Betty White and friends are surely smiling at the perfect homage.
Go see The Golden Girls. Laughter is good for the soul. And the message of the show, featured in the grand finale musical number is poignant and moving this time of year. We all have family of our own making, the family of choice. Sometimes it includes our actual relatives, but when it doesn’t, we still have our family of friends to celebrate the holidays. Thank you for being a friend.
The Golden Girls Save Xmas is now playing at The Hoover Leppen Theater at the Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted Street, in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Tickets are now on sale at handbagproductions.org or buytickets.at/hellinahandbagproductions/1024359.