Golden Girls drag play 'The Lost Episodes Vol. 5 SEX!' to open at leather museum

Hell in a Handbag Productions is opening its 20th anniversary season with a new installment of a popular drag-parody, The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes Vol. 5 SEX! at the Leather Archives and Museum, 6418 N. Greenview Ave. in Rogers Park. The live theater production will run from September 16 to October 23.

Pandemic precautions

Ticketholders must be 18 years old or older and must show proof of vaccination, either original, photo saved on mobile device, or on a vaccine passport like Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Vax Verify, or on the CVS or Walgreens app.

By order of the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), all audience members must be masked at all times while in the leather museum and its 160-seat auditorium.

An original production 

SEX! is written by artistic director David Cerda and directed by Madison Smith. The production stars Cerda, Grant Drager, Ed Jones, and Ryan Oates as the "Geriatric Fab Four" made popular in the 1980s television series. They will be joined by Lori Lee, Max McKune, Michael Rashid, and Danne W. Taylor.

The play is parted into two episodes: "The Pleasure Dome" and "Blanche Makes a Deal."

In episode one, Rose and Miles' relationship "needs spicing up and what better way to do that than a trip to the latest Miami hotspot, The Pleasure Dome," Cerda explains. "Of course, Blanche and Dorothy accompany her to provide emotional support. Meanwhile, Sophia has a mysterious part-time job that keeps her out all hours of the night."

In episode two, "following a household accident that nearly kills Sophia, Blanche's guilt drives her to do the unthinkable: take a vow of celibacy," Cerda shares. "Can Blanche keep her promise to God?"

Production team

Chicago playwright Cerda, an inductee of the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame and Jeff Award for lifetime achievement, is founding member and artistic director of Hell in a Handbag Productions. A proud Latinx queer artist, he has acted in their productions, as well. He lives in Chicago with his partner, Christopher.

Nebraskan Smith is a stage director who is also artistic director of Death and Pretzels. Madison has also worked with The House Theatre, RedTwist, Summer Place, Team StarKid, and Three Cat Productions, among others.

SEX! production team also includes Pamela L. Parker, Gregory Graham, Liz Cooper, DJ Doglass, Andrew Milliken, Mealah Heidenreich, Rick Gilbert and Victor Bayona, Keith Ryan, Jack Mink, and Drew Donnelly.

Tickets and showtimes

General admission tickets are available for $27. VIP/reserved seating is available from $35 to $45. Group rate is at $23 per ticket for 10 or more persons.

Tickets are currently available at goldengirls5sex.eventbrite.com and includes a 30-day membership to the Leather Archives and Museum.

Previews are Thursday, September 16 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, September 17 at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday, September 18 at 7:30 p.m. There will be a special opening performance on Sunday, September 19 at 7 p.m.

Regular run will be from Friday, September 25 through October 23.

Curtain times will be 7:30 p.m. for Fridays and Saturdays. It will be 3 p.m. on Sundays.

There will be an added performance on Thursday, October 21 at 7:30 p.m.