Chicago Theater: 'The Rip Nelson Halloween Spooktacular' is a groovy delight

If you've always wanted to see Joan Crawford, Charo, Phyllis Diller and Bea Arthur shake their maracas on stage together, your dream has finally come true. From the deliciously twisted mind of David Cerda and Hell in a Handbag Productions comes The Rip Nelson Halloween Spooktacular, starring the insanely talented Ed Jones as the semi-legendary - and obviously gay - comedian Rip Nelson, who is hosting his own Halloween TV special in 1976. Will Rip be able to stay sober long enough to make a triumphant comeback - or will his personal demons continue to sabotage his career? For the answer to that question, I urge everyone in the Chicagoland area to go see this groovy pop culture smorgasbord of a show.

Now I'm not going to reveal all the wonderful surprises in Rip's evening of entertainment, but I will offer up a few of my favorite moments just to wet your whistle:

• Rip and Ms. Crawford (played, of course, by the fabulous Cerda) singing their unique version of "Kids" from Bye Bye Birdie (which only helps to remind us of the similarities between Mr. Nelson and  comedian Paul Lynde - who also hosted his own Halloween TV special back in 1976).

• Ms. Arthur crooning "Werewolves of London" in a perfect Maude Findlay outfit (which made me want to see her excellent portrayer, Michael Hampton, perform an entire episode of the 1970s sitcom).

• The unlikely duo of Kate Smith (Missy Aguilar) and Bob Dylan (Red Genson, who is especially good as the singer) giving us a memorable mash-up of "God Bless America" and "Blowin' in the Wind".

• Charo (played by Elizabeth Lesinksi with just the right amount of sweet daffiness and fiery flamboyance) leading the entire cast in an amusing rendition of "Hootchie Cootchie Halloween".

I could easily continue to highlight further delights of the night - such as Alex Grelle's hilarious Shelley Duvall impersonation - but instead I will let you discover them for yourselves when you go see The Rip Nelson Halloween Spooktacular, which runs through November 6 at Mary's Attic (5400 N. Clark). For tickets, call 800-838-3006 or go to brownpapertickets.com. For further information on Hell in a Handbag Productions, go to handbagproductions.org.