Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...What's your poison? Noir? Musicals? Gender-bending camp with a twist of melodrama? Well, guys and dolls, stir your stumps upstairs to Mary's Attic, where Hell in a Handbag's "Lady X: The Musical" showcases a swell bunch of shady dames (and dudes) playing it as broad as it gets."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...The first half hour is so craftily written, ingeniously tuneful (music by Cerda and Scott Lamberty), wickedly vulgar, and crisply performed that the remaining 90 minutes-which in any other context would be mostly terrific-often seem merely good. This artful cloaking of progressive gender politics under cross-dressing absurdity and big dance numbers deserves judicious trimming and tightening. As the fire-haired, overstuffed Fontanelli, Cerda is an utter horror."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...A musical requires music, of course, which Cerda and Lamberty serve tunes in frothy abundance, from the Charleston-tempo "Hostess with the Mostess"( sic ) that introduces the sorority of golden-hearted harlots, to the wistful ballad "House on the Hill." The score also encompasses a show-stopping turn by Caitlin Jackson's Gabby on the high-kicking "Flim Flam Floozy," along with dazzling boat-in-the-bottle dance choreography by Steve Love, Kate Seltzer Kamphausen's sleek wardrobe and unflappable stage manager Michelle Kidd at the switchboard on Foley punches."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"..."Lady X: The Musical" was not the show that Hell in a Handbag Productions had announced to open its 15th anniversary season with. When 20th Century Fox got wind of the fact that Artistic Director David Cerda was planning on mounting a production of "Valley of the Dolls" by Jacqueline Susanne they slapped him with a cease and desist order. Instead of pursuing a long legal battle, which would have amounted to nearly $30,000 in legal fees, Cerda and company were left scrambling for a last minute replacement. Fear not! Based on Hell in a Handbag's 2010 play of the same name, "Lady X: The Musical," which is receiving its world premiere at cozy Mary's Attic, is a zany, hilarious and rioutous romp of a show."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...This is hands down one of the best productions ever produced by Hell in a Handbag, and that’s saying a lot. Almost every show from this company is campy, hilarious and full of sass and satire. But David Cerda’s latest creation offers a slick, stylish entertainment that’s flavored with adult humor and situations, but which never veers into tastelessness. Cerda skewers a time period and a genre that seems to especially speak to him and makes it breathe with over-the-top performances and comedy. It’s a show fill with fun, singing, dancing and murder!"
The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended
"...Cerda nailed it in 2010. Although it loses some of the original snappy rhythm by adding musical numbers, LADY X has grown into a long legged, classy dame. The singing and dancing make it more of a Handbag production. The talented ensemble has got some terrific pipes and gams to show-off. My only issue with the show is it's sometimes hard to hear the zinging lyrics over the music in this venue. The cast needs to be miked. Or Handbag needs to put on their show at a place with better acoustics. Still, the return of LADY X as a musical continues to be the cat's meow! This is a fun and frothy outing."
Picture This Post - Highly Recommended
"...Hell in a Handbag Production’s latest creation is the hilarious LADY X. While some comedies may give you time to breathe between laughs, this production will never let you catch your breath. The show is a perfect blend of campy comedy, old Hollywood references and witty double entendres."
