Thirty years after its first production, Joan Crawford Goes to Hell returns this month to The Clutch on North Western Avenue in Chicago. Previews start August 21 and the show opens August 28. The show examines the complicated legacy of the Oscar winner with edgy comedy and multiple actors providing their interpretation of the Hollywood icon. We talked with the creative mind behind the show, David Cerda who is an inductee of the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame.
A winner of the Jeff Award for lifetime achievement to the theatre, Cerda is nationally known for his “Golden Girls Lost Episodes” which performed at GoldenCon, the nation’s first convention dedicated to the sitcom. Article continues below.
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A Premise Born From Fan Demand
David Cerda, a founding member and artistic director of Hell in a Handbag Productions, developed the concept for the show back in 1997 with his former company Sweetback Productions. After staging musical versions of Carrie and Valley of the Dolls, audiences asked him for Mommy Dearest, the 1981 film adaptation of Crawford’s daughter Christina’s memoir.
“I don’t want it to be just a straight parody,” explained Cerda. “I wanted layers on it. So I just thought it would be interesting to see Joan Crawford’s reaction to Mommy Dearest.”
The result finds Crawford in and forced to watch her life through Christina’s telling of it. Crawford is accompanied by Mr. Deville—who in this production is a suave devil figure. Crawford confronts the differences between her self-image and the mythology that’s been built about her.
Three Versions of an Icon
Cerda’s production features not one, but three Crawfords as three actors portray the Oscar winning actress. Cerda said it was necessary because she reinvented herself throughout her career.
“There’s not one person who can be Joan because there’s so many different versions of Joan,” said Cerda. He himself portrays Crawford in her twilight years. Gretchen Greer plays the version of Crawford “Mommy Dearest.” Nicholas Ian plays what Cerda called “Dramatic Angrier Joan.”
The story is based on Cerda’s extensive research. As a child he became fascinated with Crawford after watching Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. He said that it was of his mom’s favorite films. His appreciation for Crawford grew after he saw Mommy Dearest in his twenties.
“This woman really achieved something not a lot of people could do,” said Cerda. “She was like the Madonna of her time. She achieved something not a lot of people could do. Not that I’m a huge Madonna fan, but I respect Madonna for being able to adapt to the different decades. And that’s exactly what Joan did.”
From “My Way of Life” to the Stage
Cerda relied heavily on Crawford’s 1972 memoir “My Way of Life.” Cerda described it as a mashup of lifestyle guide and memoir that ultimately pre-dated the modern celebrity wellness culture. Crawford offered advice on everything from fashion to entertaining, interior design, weight management, and romance.
“It’s kind of jaw dropping,” said Cerda. “Joan liked to present this persona of, as she got older, being a great lady when she was actually quite a wild young woman. And there’s also how to care for your wardrobe with the wooden hangers versus wire hangers and her thoughts on motherhood.”
His script quotes directly from My Way of Life. And Cerda did not shy away from the darker undercurrents of Crawford’s story. He said child abuse remains one of the central conflicts of the show, which he said was portrayed as too over-the-top in Mommy Dearest.
“Child abuse is not funny,” he said. “But the way the movie is edited and presented, it’s so over the top that you have to laugh at it. Christina Crawford herself thinks it’s ridiculous.”
When asked about Jessica Lange’s interpretation of Crawford in Ryan Murphy’s Feud: Bette and Joan, Cerda said that she captured Crawford’s essential humanity, even if others criticized Lange for not looking like Crawford.
“She made her a human being rather than a caricature, but also kept the humor and also was a bitch,” he said.
Music and Movement at The Clutch
Cerda composed original songs for the production, drawing on his concept album, We Are The Joans, from his rock band The Joans.
“What if Joan Crawford fronted a new wave band, like a little punky New Wave band?” Cerda wondered. The album is available on all streaming platforms, including the track “Joan Crawford Goes to Hell.”
The Clutch features a 49-seat boutique space that presents logistical challenges for the 11 performers who have numerous costume changes in the two-act play. Cerda said their rehearsals have been as much exercises in spatial problem-solving, figuring out how to make quick transitions in tight spaces.
“Fun takes good fun,” he said. “Takes a long time to plan.”
Tickets for “Joan Crawford Goes to Hell” are available through handbagproductions.org.
