Review: A Must-See LADY X: THE MUSICAL

Thank goodness that Hell in a Handbag Productions' artistic director David Cerda doesn't know how to leave well enough alone. Cerda originally parodied Bette Davis' 1937 crime drama "Marked Woman" in 2010 and uses the same source material in LADY X: THE MUSICAL, a brand-new work that is perhaps his smartest and funniest musical to date. It feels like the sassy love child of "The Drowsy Chaperone" and "Chicago."

Christea Parent stars as Mary Dwight, a hostess in a taxi-dance type club where the gals are doing more than just the two step with their male clients. She's taken the job in order to put her younger (and more virtuous) sister Betty (a bubbly and naïve Steve Love) through college. In the song "House on the Hill," Cerda presents his most unironic and, yes, heartfelt set of lyrics in which Mary dreams of a home of her own. It's in a similar vein as "Somewhere That's Green" (from "Little Shop of Horrors") and Parent sells it with much heart and conviction. In fact, at times throughout the show she reminded me of a young Loraine Newman. Like Newman, she possesses a great comedic sense to know when to play a scene straight and when to exaggerate.

She shares a tiny apartment with a quartet of fellow ladies of the night including drug-addicted party girl Gabby (Caitlin Jackson, who gets to belt "Flim Flam Floozy" a comedic song that could easily be recorded by Bette Midler), Southern bad girl Emmy Lou (Elizabeth Lesinski), dim-witted, but loyal Ruby (Sydney Genco) and the fragile and faded beauty Estelle (another winning performance from Ed Jones).

Jones duets with Chazie Bly (as night club manager Val) in "A Lovely Pair." The tune has an Astaire and Rogers feel to it -at least at the start when it is cute. This being a Hell in a Handbag show, the scene quickly twists in a way that only Cerda could write (like John Waters, Cerda knows when to push audiences out of their comfort zones, but in a playful way).

Cerda plays Scarlet Fontanelli, who -after her brother's sudden and mysterious disappearance-assumes control of her family's crime syndicate including the dance club that she rules over with an iron fist. Cerda will be the first to tell you he's no crooner, but he does service to "The Girls at My Joint. Like "When You're Good to Mama," the song is a character piece that succinctly introduces the cast and all the potential conflicts that will arrive in the course of the evening.

As a police detective determined to bring the Fontanelli crime family to justice, Laura Coleman makes the most of what is essentially the straight role in many scenes. Her facial reactions during a reprise of "House on the Hill" are pitch perfect and rightfully earned a number of laughs.

Adrian Hadlock also showcases some great comedic work in a diverse and varied handful of roles including a sleezy john and an aging judge with a speech impediment.

The choreography by Love is incredibly polished and feels appropriate to the period. The rousing act one closer "Night on the Town" features a tap number between Lesinksi and Love straight out of "42nd Street" in that it is both energetic and nostalgic.

Kate Setzer Kamphausen's costumes and Keith Ryan's wigs ooze the glitz and glamour of the heyday of the Hollywood musical. JD Caudill's musical direction features crisp vocals and tasty harmonies (while the space is small, it's a wonder that cast produces the quality of sound they do without the benefit of microphones).

Co-directed in a zippy fashion by Steve Love and Tommy Bullington, the show features book and lyrics by Cerda and music by Cerda and Scott Lamberty.

Much the same way "Hairspray" was dubbed John Waters' most accessible work, it's true for Cerda's "Lady X: The Musical." Featuring bitchy repertoire that reminds one immediately of the patter from 1934's "The Women" crossed with the female comradery of 1937's "Stage Door," fans of camp musicals would do well not to cross this LADY X off their must-see lists.

Hell in a Handbag Productions' LADY X: THE MUSICAL runs through June 8 at Mary's Attic, 5400 N. Clark. Tickets $26-$38. 800.838.3006 or www.handbagproductions.org

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