Behind the habit, there are hopes and dreams proving that nuns are just like the rest of us. Some of them even love to sing and dance and tell jokes. Well, at least that’s the case with the Little Sisters of Hoboken, as portrayed in the musical comedy Nunsense, the current production of the Elmira Theatre Company.
Nunsense begins when the sisters discover that their cook, Sister Julia, Child of God, has accidentally poisoned 52 of their fellow nuns, leaving the survivors in dire need of funds for the burials. The sisters decide that the best way to raise the money is to put on a variety show, so they take over the school auditorium, which is currently set up for the Grade 8 production of “Grease.”
Here we meet Reverend Mother Regina (Vicci Taylor), a former circus performer; Sister Mary Hubert (Deb Deckert), the Mistress of Novices; a streetwise nun from Brooklyn named Sister Robert Anne (Sheryl Walsh); Sister Mary Leo (Evelyn Barber), a novice who is a wannabe ballerina; Sister Mary Myopia (Polly Edwards); and the delightfully wacky Sister Mary Amnesia (Michel DiTomasso), the nun who lost her memory when a crucifix fell on her head. What follows are the vaudevillian antics that is their fundraising effort.
“It’s a popular choice because it’s so funny – we sing, dance and tell jokes,” said director Joe Brenner of Nunsense.
Having performed in musicals and directed other plays, he’d never taken the helm for a musical, so he was eager to tackle this production. Growing up, he had nuns as teachers, so the subject matter hit home.
As a bonus, Brenner added, the show fleshes out the characters more than is common in a musical, giving the audience a chance to get a glimpse at the personal lives of the nuns – “they’re people too,” he laughed.
“We really get a sense of what makes these ladies tick.”
Created by Dan Goggin, the Nunsense concept started as a line of greeting cards featuring a nun offering tart quips with a clerical slant. The popularity of the cards prompted Goggin to develop a caberet show, eventually expanding it to a musical that has since spawned six sequels.
Nunsense opened off-Broadway in 1985 and became the second longest running off-Broadway show in musical theatre history (3,672 performances), winning Outer Critic Circle Awards for Best Book, Best Music and Best Production.
All the acclaim is well deserved, said Brenner, citing the catchy tunes and the variety of musical styles at play, including jazz, tap and swing.
The demands of the script have meant months of rehearsal for the cast of six, with a particular focus on the dance numbers.
“I think it’s the best dancing we’ve ever done in a musical,” he said of this ETC production.
The Elmira Theatre Company production of Nunsense runs Nov. 16-18, Nov. 22-25, and Nov. 29-Dec. 1 at 76 Howard Ave. Show times are 7 p.m., except Sundays (5 p.m.) and Thursday (8 p.m.).
Tickets are $48 for dinner shows, $18 for the show only, available at the Centre in the Square box office in Kitchener by calling 578-1570 or 1-800-265-8977, online at www.centre-square.com.
