David Cerda and Scott Lamberty, the creators of “Sexy Baby”, have once again taken a touchy subject, child beauty pageants, which are already riddled with parody and camp, and unleashed a veritable whirlwind of funny on Chicago audiences.
I fall in comedy love with pretty much every show David Cerda's Hell in a Handbag Productions puts out and “Sexy Baby” doesn't disappoint. I asked David after the show if he realizes what an incredible feminist he is, because the way he views the glamour of women and the unique predicaments in their life is always so dead on funny and supportive at the same time. “Sexy Baby” should be adapted for school age children because it hits on every single thing that little girls and boys are subjected to by their stage-momsters on the way to what they hope is pageant and Hollywood fame - without losing heart or one beat of funny.
Cerda's casting is always spot on as well and he never fails to attract some of the funniest and most talented singer/dancers in Chicago. The entire cast of “Sexy Baby” blew me away but stand-outs this time were Alex Grelle as “Beyansay Riddle” and Edlyn Griffin as “Epiphany Jones” who both absolutely had me screaming with laughter every time they came on stage. Grelle and Griffin's faces reflected the exact wide eyed, sugary sweet and plastic stare and over extended posture of the five-year-old girls you see on the TV show “Toddlers and Tiaras”. Billie Bryant as the wheelchair bound, white trash stage-momster “Cindy Jones” was also very, very funny, and Heather Currie has a wonderful singing voice.
Run, don't walk to see “Sexy Baby” at Mary's Attic in Andersonville, and don't forget your sash and tiara!!
“Sexy Baby” has 7:30pm performances Thursdays-Saturdays and has just been extended to July 23rd. Tickets are a super reasonable $15-$22 and VIP packages are also available. Mary’s Attic is located in the heart of Andersonville at 5400 W Clark Street. For more information on “Sexy Baby”, visit http://www.handbagproductions.org/.
