**** Highly Recommended Hell in a Handbag is one of my absolute favorite Chicago theater companies. Their unauthorized parodies of old black and white films and favorite TV shows, packed with double entendres, puns, running sight gags and bad wigs, never fail to make me laugh! This fall’s offering, The Golden Girls Meet The Skooby Don’t Gang: The Mystery of The Haunted Bush, is a farce so ridiculous, it’s hysterically funny! If you need some laughter in your life, this is the show for you. I loved it and you will too. Kudos to playwright David Cerda, Hell in a Handbag’s Artistic Director. The Golden Girls Meet The Skooby Don’t Gang: The Mystery of The Haunted Bushis one of his best! 4 BIG Spotlights
Like a typical farce, The Mystery of The Haunted Bush, features multiple doors, revolving walls, mistaken identities, insane rapid-fire dialogue, pratfalls, and sight gags. It covers costume changes with a riotous Golden Girls trivia contest – with prizes – conducted by Stan (Scot Sausa), Dorothy’s ex as he roams through the audience.
The set is the iconic Golden Girls home in Miami. Rose (Ed Jones) is really excited because her nephew is coming for a visit. The other ladies, Dorothy (David Cerda), Blanche (Grant Drager) and Sophia (Ryan Oates), are their usual sarcastic selves as they poke fun at Rose who’s secretly worried because she’s being haunted by a big, scary bush.
By the way, TV audiences never knew that Rose has a nephew, Fred, who’s part of the Scooby Don’t Gang. When Fred arrives, the ladies realize he’s just like Rose! The rest of the gang, Daffy (Liz Lesinski), Velva (Caitlin Jackson, Skaggy (Josh Kemper) and their dog, Scooby (Ben Meneses), make themselves at home. I was blown away when Skaggy started talking – he sounded exactly like the cartoon character! When the ladies’ long-time friend, Nancy Drew (Danne W. Taylor) drops in for a visit, the gang is in awe.
When everyone settles for the night, the scary bush makes another appearance. Appearing from various bedrooms, one by one – except for Skaggy and Nancy Drew who were very together – they all run in different directions trying to get away from the bush. In the morning, when all is quieter, new neighbor, Rita Claxton (Michael S. Miller) comes over to complain about all the screaming.
In Act II, we hear real screams and watch a chaotic chase scene right out of the movies! All four of the ladies and the Gang are running – not necessarily together – from that annoying bush. Do not blink or you’ll miss something. People were popping out of one door, running to another, sometimes together, sometimes apart, even hitting the revolving walls to get away from that bush! Kudos to Director and Choreographer Frankie Leo Bennett who designed this mayhem!
I have to recognize Costume Designer Madeline Felauer. The Golden Girl outfits were very stylish, in keeping with their TV image – although I did think Dorothy’s suit was on the subdued side. For the Skooby Gang, on the other hand, she found colorful outfits that could have been in the cartoons.
The Hell in a Handbag production of The Golden Girls Meet The Skooby Don’t Gang: The Mystery of The Haunted Bush runs through November 3rd on the Chopin Theatre Mainstage, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago. I recommend using a parking app since parking is almost impossible to find in this neighborhood.
Running time is approximately two hours with an intermission. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00 pm; Sundays at 3:00 pm. There are added performances on Sunday, October 27th and Wednesday, October 30th at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $45, $48 at the door. $60 VIP/reserved seating with drink ticket is also available. FYI bit.ly/hauntedbush and handbagproductions.org.