Recipe for a MIRACLE!: Campy humor, fabulous performances and Helen Keller as a drag queen

Chicago, IL - Since opening on May 14, audiences have been laughing, crying and even dancing in the aisles at Hell in and Handbag's 2015-16 season opener, MIRACLE!. This is the Midwest premiere of the side-splitting and heartfelt drag adaptation of "The Miracle Worker," written by the witty and wise Dan Savage (who will make an appearance in Chicago in July) -- the author and show are a perfect match for Chicago's favorite in campy humor and fabulous drag productions."[Expect] everything from brilliantly timed one liners to tasteless politically incorrect jokes that will make you embarrassed to laugh at," David Cerda, artistic director for Hell in a Handbag, told ChicagoPride.com. "Dan Savage has really just written a funny ass show -- I love performing in it."Cerda shows off his brilliant and legendary skills bantering with the audience as hostess Crystal Pain ("...it keeps us all on the edge of our seats," said director Derek Van Barham, "it's always different and in-the-moment, which keeps it exciting!.") who is both the drag mother and biological father of the young deaf and blind drag queen, Helen Stellar. Pain is the owner of the Brass Connection, an old-school drag club that's home to a cast of variously colorful members of a big, crazy drag family.As a cure to the overindulged Helen's chaotic performances and behavior (paralleling Keller in "The Miracle Worker"), Annie Sullivan is assigned to help her and, in the chaos of the process, the audience learns a whole lot about the nature of family, especially the one we choose for ourselves, what goes on behind the curtains at The Brass Connection."These people are a family; an unconventional one, OH YES, but a family nonetheless, and they love each other very much," Steve Love, who plays Helen Stellar, told ChicagoPride.com. "Dan's script was very careful to make clear that: yes this is a family of outcasts, and they communicate in a way specific to this community, but at the end of the day they love each other, and if you stay true to that, that the show's message comes through."MIRACLE! is one part shameless humor and another part fabulous drag performances with a whole lot of heart sprinkled in. During the rehearsal process, the company spoke with several members of the deaf community and worked closely with the deaf and blind to help set the right tone for their show, but not lose the campy, in-your-face humor that makes this show so entertaining and memorable."Cheap! Yes. Vulgar? OH YES. Politically incorrect? Yes yes yes; If it's funny, we'll generally do it," Love said. "We were careful in this one, however, to make sure that the laughs are always happening WITH the characters, and never AT them. Derek [Van Barham] and the cast made sure that in this show full of clowns, Helen remains human. In that way we succeed in gaining an (often unexpected) emotional response from the audience, as well as the laughs that they came in for.""If you haven't seen the show, it could be easy to dismiss the idea as offensive," Van Barham added, saying that one of their most enthusiastic audiences so far was for a special ASL performance. "And while there are certainly in-your-face moments that will make some people cover their eyes and ears, this show has a lot of heart. We've taken great care with the portrayal of Helen Stellar, and the joke is never on her. She makes us laugh, and she falls down along the way, but in the end...she wins."MIRACLE! runs at Mary's Attic, 5400 N Clark in Andersonville, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and Sundays at 3:30 through July 10, with some schedule tweaks for summer events and Pride celebrations (see their website for full details). Tickets are available online for $25 or $27 in advance, or $32 at the door.It's also just been announced that playwright Dan Savage, one of the nation's leading writers and commentators on sex, sexuality and LGBTQ issues, will be joining Hell in a Handbag in Chicago on Thursday, July 9, at 7:30 p.m. The "Savage Love" sex columnist and founder of the "It Gets Better Project" will be part of an audience talkback following the evening's performance. Tickets are available at www.handbagproductions.org for $37 in advance or $40 at the door, with a limited number of $50 VIP seats."What I love most about Miracle! is what a unique experience it is," Van Barham concluded. "It's a familiar story told in a completely new way. We've got drag. We've got poetry and spoken word. There are amazing costumes and choreography, and the performers are killing it each night! It's a fun night out...you will certainly laugh, you may possibly cry, and you'll immediately want to come back for more. And since it's a show about finding your own voice and being proud of who you are, it's the perfect show for Pride!"