Nunsense
Nunsense By Dan Goggin
Directed by Angelyn Rhode
Breakthrough Theatre, Winter Park FL</strong>
If you’re going to mock religion it’s only fair to start with nuns; they can at least fight back with rulers. And if you’re going to invoke humorous causes of death, go for the obscure like the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire or the Bon Vivant Vichyssoise Soup Scare of 1971. That’s what nearly wiped out the Little Sisters of Hoboken. (Hoboken – another guaranteed laff line even if you never set foot in Joisey.) The convent still has four of their departed sisters stashed in the freezer; there wasn’t enough money to bury them all after they splurged on a karaoke machine. So tonight they are doing a song and dance routine to raise money and I’m not sure you could have a thinner plot unless you added amnesia, and that role falls to Sister Mary Amnesia (Niashia Aviles). But its still light weight fun tonight; the space is full of back stage shenanigans led by Reverend Mother Mary Regina (Judith Gill). She’s the disciplinarian, racing hard to keep up with the action. Sister Robert Anne (Traci McGough) wants to be a star; she’s good in “Playing Second Fiddle” but great in “I Just Want to Be a Star” because, well, because that’s what she wants. This show does NOT aim for subtlety. Another example: Sister Marty Amnesia sings “So You Want To Be A Nun” along with a nasty puppet who tries to tell off color jokes. This scene accurately describes the Prime Directive of entertainment: You can have a puppet do anything on stage. ANYTHING.
The sharpest knife in this kitchen drawer is Sister Mary Hubert (Angela Cotto); she’s great with Sister Mary Leo (Nikole Andrea Torres) as they put everyone down with “The Biggest Ain’t The Best” and we all enjoyed her tap number with the cast “Tackle that Temptation with a Time Step.” There’s actually a few decent tappers in this crowd, and it’s not something Breakthrough does that often. Lastly I’ll mention the two males in the ensemble; they had few words but did their share of physical comedy. These guys are known as Brother Barnes (Nate Elliot) and Brother Nobel (Andrew Emery). Both of these gents are from Winter Springs High; they are young but show promise. This show is a pile of hectic fun, and its best watched with the attitude we should all carry to theological entertainment: It’s not Broadway, but it wipes away all the sins that got stuck on your soul at Fringe.
For more information, please visit http://www.breakthroughtheatre.com or look them up on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Breakthrough-Theatre-of-Winter-Park/
