Hell in a Handbag Presents LADY X, Previews Opens 5/8

Hell in a Handbag Productions is pleased to announce the world premiere production of Lady X, a shocking expose´ ripped from the headlines of yesteryear! In keeping with Hell in a Handbag's tradition of camp and parody, Lady X takes on the black and white crime melodrama films of the 30's and 40's. Based on the Bette Davis feature, Marked Woman, Lady X is the story of seedy nightclubs, the menacing gangsters that run them and the loose women that keep the customers coming back for more! Staged in the art deco atmosphere of Mary's Attic, above Hamburger Mary's in Andersonville, Lady X will give theater-goers a glimpse into the world of the 'clip-joint' from days gone by.

Mary Dwight (Handbag ensemble member Annie Gloyn) is a gorgeous dame and a tough cookie who knows the score (and then some). Mary spends her nights as a 'clip-joint hostess', making the customers feel welcome, whether it's sharing a drink with them - or the evening. Mary's got all the angles figured out, until Scarlett Fontanelli (Handbag Artistic Director & playwright David Cerda) enters the picture. As deadly as she is beautiful, Scarlett will stop at nothing to gain control over this world of underground crime. While Frank Graham (Handbag's Megan Keach), a young idealistic Assistant District Attorney, will stop at nothing to bring Scarlett and the Fontanelli syndicate to its knees. Frank wants justice for decent citizens everywhere and for his sister Barbara, a casualty of the Fontanelli family business.

Other memorable characters include Handbag ensemble members Elizabeth Lesinski as Emmy Lou, the dim southern belle gone bad; Michael Miller as the greedy mob lawyer; and Ed Jones as Estelle Porter, the world's oldest goodtime girl. Lady X also features Michael Hampton, Libby Lane, David Besky, Chad and Joanna Lind.

Directed by Handbag ensemble member Derek Czaplewski, fresh from last year's smash revival of Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer, Lady X promises to be a wild ride you won't soon forget. Come see David Cerda and Hell in a Handbag's first original world premiere in three years! You don't want to miss a tale so startling...so lurid...that only Hell in a Handbag Productions would dare tell it!