Hell in a Handbag Productions 24th Season To Feature Two World Premieres

Hell in a Handbag Productions has announced its 24th season, a lineup filled with wit, camp, and outrageous comedy that the company has become synonymous with over the past two decades. The upcoming 2025/26 season will feature two world premieres and one fan-favorite revival, all written by Artistic Director David Cerda*, and staged at the company’s boutique North Center venue, The Clutch (4335 N. Western Ave.). Season subscriptions are now available at handbagproductions.org.

The season begins this winter with the world premiere of The Real Housewives of the North Pole, running November 20, 2025 through January 4, 2026. In this holiday send-up, the North Pole finds itself in chaos as Santa and his power-player cohorts are indicted for fraud. Left to pick up the pieces are the wives—Mrs. Ruth Claus, Mrs. Frosty the Snowman, Suzy Snowflake, Gladys Dasher, and others—who suddenly face financial ruin. Their solution? Enter the world of reality television, with Andy Cohen and the Bravo network arriving just in time to turn the crisis into the perfect platform for instant fame. A press opening is scheduled for Saturday, November 29 at 7:30 p.m. Casting will be announced at a later date.

In spring 2026, Handbag will unveil another world premiere: The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes – The Cheese Pyramid. Rose (Ed Jones*) embarks on a money-making scheme after joining a questionable multi-level marketing company that promises to deliver the unique cheeses of St. Olaf to Miami households. Before long, her garage overflows with unsold cheese, forcing Dorothy (David Cerda*), Blanche (Grant Drager*), and Sophia (Ryan Oates*) to intervene with a plan to salvage their sticky situation. Featuring Cerda, Drager, Jones, Oates, and Danne W. Taylor*, with additional casting to be announced, the parody continues Handbag’s long-running tradition of blending nostalgia with hilarity.

The season concludes in summer 2026 with a revival of Joan Crawford Goes to Hell, Cerda’s roller-coaster exploration of the Hollywood legend. Originally staged in 1999 with Sweetback Productions, the play imagines Crawford (Cerda*) dying, descending into hell, and being forced to view her life through the eyes of her daughter, Christina (TJ O’Brien). Blending Mommie Dearest, biography, and Crawford’s own lifestyle book My Way of Life, the play is equal parts satire and homage. The cast will also feature Kelly Anchors, Ed Jones*, Lori Lee*, O’Brien, and Michael Rashid*, with further casting to come.

In addition to the mainstage season, Hell in a Handbag will continue its tradition of special programming, including a Halloween Horror series in October 2025.

“As we enter our 24th year, I can’t help but feel proud to have survived for as long as we have,” said Artistic Director and Co-Founder David Cerda. “Handbag is more than a theatre company—we’re part of the Chicago community, and the ensemble doesn’t take that responsibility lightly. We are here to celebrate who we are through the lens of camp and the theater of the ridiculous. I’ve been told I belong in an institution, but I never imagined Handbag would become a Chicago institution.”