Nunsense Review!
Garrison Players stage some ‘Nunsense’
When Sister Hubert introduces a tap dance to “Tackle That Temptation,” Moriarty-Schieven’s vocals begin to soar. She later harmonizes with Finley as “Just a Coupl’a Sisters,” but really shows some spirit and soul in “Holier Than Thou” near the end of the play.
Hurray! Another good review!!
The concept of “Nunsense,” a musical comedy by Dan Goggin, reportedly originated as a line of greeting cards with a clerical slant. That explains why the play seems to have been written to provide a platform from which to tell an abundance of nun puns and slightly sacrilegious jokes in the traditionally worn habit.
That said, nuns who tell dirty jokes, inadvertently get messed up on drugs and keep four dead bodies in a freezer are, in fact, funny. So why not give them the stage? “Nunsense” is being performed by the Garrison Players Arts Center in Rollinsford through Oct. 5. The play is directed by Michael Tobin, with music direction by keyboardist Kathy Fink.
While off playing bingo, five of the Little Sisters of Hoboken, a missionary order that once ran a leper colony on an island south of France, find out that their cook, Sister Julia, Child of God, accidentally killed 52 residents of the convent with some tainted soup.
As industrious as her creator-Goggin, not God-Reverend Mother Regina starts a greeting card company to raise money for the burials, but ends up spending some of the proceeds on new technology for the convent. That leaves them four funerals short, and the bodies of four nuns remain in the freezer. For more funds, they decide to stage a variety show in a school auditorium decorated for an eighth grade production of “Grease.”
The set, designed by Kim Berry, not only has an appropriate 1950s look for “Grease,” but also pulls off the school setting, with details like championship sports banners above the stage. The actresses use the entire theater, sometimes running through the aisles or sitting with the audience, never losing character (credit goes to stage manager Christine Major, who plays Sister Mary Do-all). The audience is also kept engaged with a quiz. People were asked to raise their hands, but many in the crowd of roughly 50 people shouted out their answers. Prizes included tongue-in-cheek Last Supper after-dinner mints.
The black and white, penguin-like habits worn by all the actresses are hilarious at first, but become monotonous by the play’s end. With nothing but faces and hands exposed, the actresses are especially expressive during each song and dance routine.
The characters are incredibly well cast. Tinka Finley, as the Mother Superior, has an authoritative air that makes her occasional misjudgments more compelling. Sasha Moriarty-Schieven, as second-in-charge Sister Hubert, the Mistress of Novices, is collected and competitive. Danica Carlson, as the streetwise Sister Robert Anne, from Brooklyn, is cool and charismatic in her Converse sneakers. Linette Miles, as Sister Amnesia, who lost her memory when a crucifix fell on her head, has big, blank eyes and an innocent smile. Danielle Melillo, as Sister Mary Leo, a novice who wants to be a ballerina, is appropriately sweet and petite.
The entertainment that they present includes solo turns and dance routines, with each nun revealing a secret desire to be famous. The dancing is rather rudimentary, but that makes it all the more believable for inexperienced nuns in a variety show. The highlight was the endearing ballet performance in bunny slippers by Melillo. All of their voices, meanwhile, border on heavenly.
When Miles sings about becoming a nun, she really hits the high notes. She is accompanied by a puppet nun, and while she’s no ventriloquist, her ability to play both roles is impressive.
Mother Superior, a former circus performer who still seeks the spotlight, basks in it during her big solo. But she has competition from both Sister Robert Anne, who occasionally steals the show in an effort to prove she shouldn’t just be an understudy, and Sister Hubert, who takes over after Mother Superior accidentally gets wrecked on drugs.
“Why don’t nuns do drugs?” Hubert asks. “Because they already have a habit.” Yet, the Mother Superior on drugs is laugh-out-loud funny, and the way she laughs at her own jokes makes it even better.
When Sister Hubert introduces a tap dance to “Tackle That Temptation,” Moriarty-Schieven’s vocals begin to soar. She later harmonizes with Finley as “Just a Coupl’a Sisters,” but really shows some spirit and soul in “Holier Than Thou” near the end of the play. The solo by Carlson, as understudy Robert Anne, is worth waiting for when she flirts with a green feather boa and sings about her own desire to be a star.
The nuns try other forms of entertainment to fill out the variety show, but all turn into a joke. The laughter this play inspires is like whispering during Sunday school-a little sinful and guilt-ridden, even if you’re not Catholic. In a cooking show spoof, perhaps another shout out to Julia Child, the recipes are saucy. “Mary Magdalene Tarts!” says Sister Hubert. “I’ll bet they’re easy!” The nuns also show a silent film they’ve made, but that’s tainted too. Through it all, the play does the only thing it needs to do: prove that even nuns have fun.