Review: Crown City Theatre Produces Exultant NUNSENSE for the Holidays

Nunsense/book, music & lyrics by Dan Goggin/directed by Kristin Towers Rowles/Crown City Theatre, NoHo/through January 17, with possible extension

Resourceful Dan Goggin designed a line of greeting cards to honor the nun, then turned the project into a cabaret which finally became a full-fledged musical comedy in 1985. Now Nunsense plays in several languages all over the world. Everyone has a peculiar fascination with nuns. Why? Well, number one, they dress oddly and apart from that, they live out their daily lives praying and doing things uncommon to the average person. Say you are or grew up a Catholic, you still have difficulty figuring them out. Are they really that stern and block-headed? Well, Dan Goggin takes you behind the scenes, so-to-speak, in this tongue -in-cheek look at the Little Sisters of Hoboken at Mt. Saint Helen's School - you will see them do things, irreverent things, you never imagined in your wildest dreams - who are about to put on a benefit show to raise funds to...Oh, Saints preserve us... to bury four nuns who died from botulism. Currently onstage at Crown City Theatre in NoHo, Nunsense is receiving a nifty revival directed by the terrific Kristin Towers Rowles and sporting a fantabulous cast.

As soon as you meet Mother Superior, Sister Mary Regina (Michelle Holmes), Sister Mary Hubert (Renee Cohen), Sister Robert Anne (Lisa Dyson), Sister Mary Amnesia (Kelley Dorney) and Sister Mary Leo (Shayna Gabrielle), you will find yourselves becoming hooked on their quaint mannerisms and off-center personalities. Of course, everything that could go wrong during the benefit does, so be prepared for the unexpected. Robert Anne is the understudy and must go on for Mary Regina, when Mother Superior accidentally sniffs some rush and literally freaks out onstage. The board of health sends a letter telling the Sisters that they will close down the kitchen the following morning regardless of their efforts, for the bodies of the four deceased nuns are being preserved in the freezer. And since Sister Julia of Child, who is responsible for the bolulism to begin with has put the recipe for the chicken that caused the problem in her book, the Sisters seem to wasting their time trying to sell the cookbook at the benefit. Who will buy it under these extreme conditions? It's all a friggin' mess until Sister Amnesia remembers who she is and the Sisters realize that there will be more than enough money coming their way to save the day.

Under Towers Rowles impeccable direction, the Sisters let all all the stops and have a field day with the songs and crazy shenanigans. Holmes is sheer delight as strict Mary Regina. She goes for broke in her sniffing scene, and, as she proceeds to lose it, we see some of the funniest moments in the play. Dyson as Robert Anne is a sketch as the understudy who is always 'ready' to go on. What a camp! Dorney as Amnesia steals the show in her revelation and has some delicious scenes before as the befuddled nun who cannot remember what she is supposed to do next. Her puppet song is hilariously memorable. Cohen and Gabrielle complete the ensemble with their specific eccentricities - Cohen has her great tap number at the end of Act One and Gabrielle her very funny ballet - making this a true ensemble piece where each and every one has her moment in the spotlight to shine big and bright.

Musical director Bill Reilly is stage right, adding humorous exchanges with the Sisters. Lisaun Whittingham has provided some brisk and catchy choreography. The set is simple and effective, with the program credit going to the Eighth Graders of Mount Saint Helen School. I love it!

Don't miss Nunsense, whether you have seen it before or not. I have been many times in the past, and with this superbly directed and talented cast, I found myself enjoying it as if for the very first time.

http://www.crowncitytheatre.com/

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