Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...Hell in a Handbag has sung before, loosely speaking. But "Bewildered" is more of a genuine musical, replete with an original score by Aaron Benham and Ron Weaver. Weaver also wrote the book, which hit on the smart idea of approaching the story through the perspective of Gladys (Caitlin Jackson), the nosy next-door neighbor who functioned mostly as the butt of jokes in "Bewitched." In "Bewildered," the normative bore has her day in the sun."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...Hell In a Handbag's musical parody of the classic sitcom Bewitched begins with an ingenious premise: nosy, incidental next-door neighbor Gladys Kravitz, perpetually dismissed as crazy (being the only mortal who sees the supernatural truth in the Stephens household), announces she's finally being taken seriously as the star of her own show. What's more, it's a high-stakes musical, as she'll be dead in 12 hours. But in short order, book writer Ron Weaver loses track of his best idea, drifting through numerous campy digressions-some clever, some dutiful-to arrive at an overworked climax."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...I loved Hell in a Handbag's "Bewildered: A Bewitching New Musical", a campy, laugh-out-loud musical parody of TV's comedy hit "Bewitched". Although Hell in a Handbag did "Bette, Live at the Continental Baths", in which Caitlin Jackson channeled the Divine Miss M in song and innuendo, this is actually their first full out musical with an original score by Aaron Benham and Ron Weaver. I see more musicals in the Handbag future. You can't help but laugh at "Bewildered"."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Just in time for Halloween, Hell in a Handbag has bought to the stage a humorous story of an iconic witch and her magical family. With a terrific script, an excellent, catchy musical score, skilled direction and technical support and a cast that could star in any Broadway musical (David Cerda would make an fantastic Edna in “Hairspray”), this is a special, spectacularly entertaining new musical that’s fiendishly festive and fun and certain to cast a spell over audiences."
The Fourth Walsh - Recommended
"...Who better to bring the campy comedy of the 60s to stage than Chicago's camp experts, Hell in a Handbag! Handbag Artistic Director David Cerda (Endora), in a role and wardrobe that he was born to rock, leads the magical buffoonery. Cerda's signature biting sarcasm nails Endora's b/witchy persona. And his stage presence captures Endora's flourishing dramatics. Somewhere in the cosmos an amused Agnes Moorhead is laughing her ass off."
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Highly Recommended
"...Through its smartly farcical antics, remind us that there's nothing wrong with being who you really are. It's a message as necessary now as it ever was. For outside the theatre doors, we may be bewitched and bothered, but within the magical realm of Hell in a Handbag, we are happily Bewildered."
Chicago Pride - Highly Recommended
"...Hell in a Handbag Productions twitches its nose in a new Halloween show that is a better fit than last years Skooby Don't. Playing off the beloved '50s and '60s sitcom Bewitched with a fresh perspective makes this a unique show. Ron Weaver had an ax to grind with the Gladys Kravitz character not getting her due. Caitlin Jackson takes the role and runs with it. There are some other nice standouts with Elizabeth Morgan hitting the right tone for Samantha Stephens. The dueling husbands are fittingling played and Ed Jones as Uncle Arthur turns up the heat with a flaming favorite characature. I wish Paul Lynde were alive today to see it."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...But it is the wonderful conceit of this show, with a book and lyrics by Ron Weaver and additional lyrics and music by Aaron Denham, to bring Gladys front and center. After all, everyone should be the star of their own stories, as even six-year-old Tabitha knows. And with Caitlin Jackson absolutely letter-perfect as Gladys, it is clear that it was time for this shadow character to come into the sun."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Can a theater company created with the sole intent to provide campy parodies of popular culture survive in a town that prides itself on theatrical performances of a "real" and "gritty" nature? That answer would be a persistent "YES!" as Hell in a Handbag celebrates its fifteenth anniversary season, riding on a star that burns ever brighter, successfully inviting audiences to revel in its hilarious (yet always sporting a kernel of a moral) entertainments, through solid casting, better-and-better performing venues and the word-of-mouth that is always the best advertising."
