“I have no idea what I just watched, but I was engaged the whole time,” said my sister the moment Queen for a Day ended.
I do so hate it when my theatre companions do a better job summarizing the show than I can.
After Lin-Manuel Miranda’s massive success with a hip-hop musical based on the life of a founding father, I don’t blink at a ridiculous-sounding premise for a play. Queen for a Day, written by Tyler Anthony Smith and currently in its world premiere production with Hell in a Handbag Productions, is about fashion designer Halston, who agrees to design a gown for Queen Elizabeth I to die in, despite his being in 1980s New York and her being…well, awfully dead by that point. Liza Minnelli also shows up and does a lot of cocaine while she plans out her new act. It sounds outrageous, and it is, but in a strange way, it works.
It helps that the cast is stellar. When Queen Elizabeth I, improbably, enters Halston’s studio, where he is “working” (doing cocaine) despite technically not being allowed in the space anymore, it does not matter a whit how any of what’s happening is possible or if any of it is actually real. What matters is the fascinating and whip-smart dialogue, delivered with irresistible panache by Will Lidke (Halston) and the playwright (Elizabeth I). Their initial scenes together feel like an especially exciting tennis match, sometimes literally so as my head swiveled from one end of the space to the other to keep my eye on whoever was speaking. The jokes are top-tier and nonstop, with Elizabeth chowing down on chicken shawarma from a halal cart, Halston throwing hissy fits over being called his first name (Roy) instead of the middle name he prefers, and both of them probing for more information about the other’s life, sometimes even getting the explanations they seek. Smith teases the audience with careful reveals of just enough information that the audience is kept on its toes waiting for the next clues to be dropped about where this whole bizarre situation is going.
Then Dakota Hughes enters like a cheerful tornado. As Liza Minnelli, she has boatloads of charisma and a frenetic energy that never stops. She’s impossible to look away from, and her entrance marks the moment the show really starts to go off the rails, spiraling in directions both unexpected and unexpectedly profound. I’ll say this for Smith’s script: while it’s not always easy to unravel its meaning, the process of picking apart the threads is enjoyable in itself.
Scenic design by Taylor Dalton is minimalist but striking; the use of Halston’s favorite color, red, creates a vibrant environment where anything can (and does) happen. Props by Maggie O’Brien have been carefully selected to convey information and meaning even with relatively few items onstage. Rachel M. Sypniewski’s costume design, Keith Ryan’s wig design, and Syd Genco’s makeup design work together in flawless synchronicity to create both visual spectacle and memorable looks for the show’s three historical figures. Director Stephanie Shaw’s dynamic blocking is compelling throughout, replete with powerful stage pictures and use of vertical space.
Queen for a Day is not a typical play; it’s something better. Get a ticket for this roller coaster ride of a show, and while you might not be left with easy answers, you’ll be left with an experience worth turning over in your mind for days afterward.
Location: Bramble Arts Loft – The Berry, 5545 N. Clark St., Chicago
Dates: July 9 – August 3, 2025
Tickets: $35. VIP reserved: $43. Tickets are available online.
All photos by Rick Aguiar Studios.
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