Interview: Denise Fennell Pasqualone of LATE NITE CATECHISM LAS VEGAS: SISTER ROLLS THE DICE! at Stages Houston

Denise Fennell Pasqualone returns to STAGES through August 16th for a Houston premiere of the live version of Late Nite Catechism Las Vegas: Sister Rolls the Dice! BROADWAY WORLD writer Brett Cullum got a chance to catch up with the actress out of her nun’s habit to discuss gambling, love, and how to raise money for a church by sinning just a little.  

Brett Cullum: This is sort of a debut for us, because this particular piece, Late Nite Catechism Las Vegas: Sister Rolls the Dice! was done for Houston audiences only virtually during the pandemic. 

Denise Fennell Pasqualone: I'm so glad we're talking about this, because I was on the phone recently with Kenn McLaughlin (former Stages artistic director who moved to Ireland). We were talking a little bit about Las Vegas Catechism, and how Carlos Cantu, who is now stage managing and working full-time at Stages. At the time, I believe he was an intern, and here we all were put in this situation where we were gonna do a play on stage, and when I tell you, Stages went all in for the set. I was on Sister's set. Every detail, Jody, Bob, the props manager, everybody knocked it out of the park. The only thing that was different from my perspective was where the audience would be: giant screens and Zoom boxes. There were 25 people on each Zoom box in each section of the theater, and Carlos was up in the balcony with 4 or 5 other interns, figuring out how to run the tech for this, so that when Sister calls on you, stand up, sit down, trying to figure out which box. That was the first time Carlos and I ever met!

It was such a wild time to pull it off, but we did, and we were talking about it today, like, what a triumph, and we actually figured out how to interact with people, and we saw crazy stuff, you know? To me, that was, like, when my relationship with Houston went next level, because now I was in people's houses! People had watch parties. The premise is that we're gonna plan a fundraiser because we need some upgrades at St. Bruno's. Things are dated, so Sister's gonna throw a Las Vegas night, and at one point she throws it out to the audience, we need performers or entertainers, does anybody have an instrument? People were running in their houses, and playing the trumpet! How fun it was to be a part of that, to be a part of people's lives, and to actually have it work! So, yeah, now I get to bring it back into a theater live! It's the next level.

Brett Cullum: I was really surprised that Sister is endorsing gambling. How did she get onto this subject?

Denise Fennell Pasqualone: Endorsing is a big word, and that's what we have to be careful labeling. There's a fine line here, because charities are big. Charitable events are huge. I mean, Houston, Texas alone has so many galas and fundraisers, and I think that, where Sister has had a tremendous amount of experience with that, she knows the Las Vegas Night is the number one way to raise money. It's also the number one temptation. So it's vice and virtue. What are we going to do here? Moderation. It's very important. But in this case, why it's going to work for us is that St. Bruno's is the house. We are the casino, and the house always wins. We're putting on the event. So our goal is to get everybody as distracted as possible so that we get as much money for the kids as we can. You know me, I always want to keep it fresh. So we're gonna have showgirls, and we're actually going to work on planning a Vegas fundraiser, just like we worked on doing other things in Houston, and they all came into fruition. So it's about community, it's about getting together for a cause, and having a lot of fun, so… and there's gonna be karaoke, I think. I just talked to Maripat (author of the show) today, and I'm like, I had this idea where, like, if we're throwing a Las Vegas fundraiser night, shouldn't there be an Elvis impersonator there? What if there is? What if somebody in the audience does Elvis on the side? I mean, I've mined for everything in Houston, and there's always somebody willing to share their talents with me. I think it's gonna be exceptional. As you know, as Sister, my intentions are always so positive, and I don't want anybody to commit sins while we're putting on the fundraiser, so I'm also going to teach you how to gamble within the guidelines of the Catholic Church. So, yeah, and gambling was invented by Catholics. It's been around since the dice were thrown for Jesus' cloak, the first craps game. We're very familiar with this as Catholics, so it's just about managing it and making it work for us. 

I don't know if you noticed, but I just found out today that the shows are selling out. I've never really had shows sell out this far in advance. So, it's really exciting to me, and today I put a lot of work into the script, just kind of making it fun, and the venial sins, the mortal sins, new sins against the millennial, some corporal works of mercy, and some new bits. You know, I always like to try out some new routines, because I love my Houston audiences. So, yeah, I'm coming locked and loaded. I got some new material that I'm excited to use.

Brett Cullum: Now, if I'm right, this is the script from creator Maripat Donovan. She originated this particular iteration of Sister.  

Denise Fennell Pasqualone: She did, and it's great because it was one of the shows that I got to kind of be an observer, watching how she worked with Mark Silvia, her writing partner. And, I got to watch her actually develop this one on its feet. So, I have a lot of her in me when it comes to this show, and that makes it so much fun. 

Brett Cullum: How long have you been working with Maripat?

Denise Fennell Pasqualone: This is now almost two decades. I was just actually back in New York for 5 days with Rick, and somehow I ended up staying… we stayed at a family's apartment, but it ended up being on a street that I lived on, one of my first apartments in New York City. And it was such an interesting 5 days to kind of go back and reflect on where I started with Tony and Tina's Wedding in New York City to having Maripat meet me and champion me as one of the religious sisters in her tribe, and it was just a fun time to kind of go, wow, it's been a really fun ride, and it just keeps getting better, which is wild. The piece is timeless! It's fun, it's fresh every time. Every time feels like the first time for me, so… but yes, for about twenty years now.

Brett Cullum: When did you first start coming to Stages? I was trying to remember that.

Denise Fennell Pasqualone: I wanna say it's close to 18 years, almost 19 years now? I don't know, I don't have the exact year, that's… I can't even think about that today, but quite a while now. So much has happened there. My whole career, it's the longest relationship I've ever had, like, it's so much good, so much history with everybody, and so many friendships, and it's really wild when you think of your journey in life, and all the different paths you could take, and where you could have ended up if you made different choices, and here I am, living a big, beautiful life. I have a great husband (Rick Pasqualone), I have kids, I have a great career, the nun's booming, and the two projects that we created in Houston are also selling all across the country. 

Brett Cullum: I don't think people realize that you travel all over the country with this Sister act, if you will. And you also have Lessons Learned and The Bride, which debuted right here! 

Denise Fennell Pasqualone: It's crazy! There are so many great places to go and see, and so many beautiful theaters across the country, and it's amazing to me that people want to come and experience them. I leave Stages on the 16th, and off I go. I mean, the next weekend, I'm in, Charlotte, North Carolina, then I'm in Boston, Massachusetts, for Lessons Learned. We won the Best of the Fest in Los Angeles, and they're bringing us back for three shows. We're launching that in Norwell, Massachusetts. Tickets are selling for that, too, which is always so amazing to me. It's so exciting that people want to come, and it makes me happy to be able to tell my story over and over again. Then we're gonna be going to Florida Rep, where you just saw we did The Bride. So it's like “Thank you, Houston audiences, for championing me, and, you know, giving me a great platform!” You don't get to say that that often.

Brett Cullum: We've talked about Sister, and we've gone round and round about her, but let's find out a little bit about Denise, too. How are things going with Rick Pasqualone?

Denise Fennell Pasqualone: Rick is amazing. 

Brett Cullum: How long have you been married now? 

Denise Fennell Pasqualone: Five years! It was our 5-year anniversary this summer. I feel like a newlywed. 5 years is a lot for me. That's a big… that's a big commitment. He's working on the TV version of Lessons Learned, and he's busy himself. 

Brett Cullum: Well, obviously, Rick Pasqualone and you are doing well. What is next? Are you working on anything? Is there anything you can reveal about incubating something new?

Denise Fennell Pasqualone: I have my schedule booked pretty much, right now, until May of next year, and it's just, like, it's really exciting, it's between Sister and Lessons Learned and The Bride. Last Christmas was interesting for me, and I went through a difficult time with losing my mom. So, when I was there (Houston) last, in January during The Bride, I thought a lot about that, and how people responded, and how kind everybody was, and grief, and I thought about my mom, and my mom loved Christmas. She just loved Christmas, and I was like, "This makes total sense.”  So, we're developing a show called Have Yourself a Wicked Awesome Christmas.

It's sort of like what the holidays are like with family and traditions that are created, and recipes that are passed on, and what can happen when families get together. 

But the thing about Sister, which is a great character, and playing yourself, is you just… I'll never age out of it. I can play it forever! The audiences keep coming, there's material for days, and I think, you know, Houston always brings it! 

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