THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Zoinks! Could it be that Hell in a Handbag Productions has kowtowed to the pressures of political correctness with Skooby Don't?

It can often feel that way in David Cerda's world-premiere and adults-only spoof of the famed Hanna-Barbera cartoon. ( I won't say which one since Handbag Productions, the Chicago connoisseur of campy drag theater, doesn't need any trademark lawsuits ).

What's probably steered Cerda's script to be a tad more sensitive and sometimes overly preachy is his decision to incorporate transgender celebrities Chaz Bono ( Caitlin Boho ) and Caitlyn Jenner ( Chazie Bly ) as characters in the show. Along with Kris Jenner ( Cerda ) and Cher ( Ed Jones ), this quartet of "special guest stars" meet with that famed gang of mystery-solving teenagers and their talking dog to uncover the identity of a monster ( Jamie Smith ).

Now Cerda's spoofing of the cartoon characters isn't entirely fresh. Many comedians and even the live-action movies made in the 2000s have already suggested that ascot-sporting Fredd ( Will Kazda ) is gay, that the ever-hungry Scaggy ( Josh Kemper ) and Skooby ( Christopher Wilson ) are pot heads, and that the brainy Velva ( Caitlin Jackson ) is a lesbian. ( In Skooby Don't, she insists that she is gender-fluid. )

The main conflict within the gang is between Velva and Daffy ( Elizabeth Lesinski ), who is upset that her character has aged and is no longer waif-thin. This leads to lots of bickering and speeches about body-image issues that then parlay into identity and acceptance statements with Chaz and Caitlyn.

Where Cerda does wade into riskier humor is with the notion that Skooby might actually be a man in a dog suit with a decades-old fetish for "puppy play." Cerda also has fun playing up how the Jenners are unashamed publicity junkies while also dredging up Cher's infomercial days by featuring Rachel Hadlock as beauty spokeswoman Lori Davis.

But with so much else going on along with the basic mystery to solve, the Skooby Don't script becomes overstuffed and often repetitive as arguments and identity statements re-emerge repeatedly. These get in the way of punchier jokes and more visual gags that would have made the show more free-wheeling and irreverent.

As for pluses with Skooby Don't, director Derek Van Barham's production looks great with wonderfully funny costumes by Kate Setzer Kamphausen. There's also great character work all around, especially by Jones and his hilarious Cher vocal inflections. Wilson as Skooby and Kemper as Scaggy also sound amazingly like their cartoon counterparts.

Perhaps Cerda is treading more carefully in finding a way to be outrageous while also being earnest to a heightened awareness of gender identities within Skooby Don't. It's a noble effort, but the mix and balance aren't quite right.