"Nunsense"

The Palace Theater in Georgetown is currently presenting "Nunsense."

First of all, I have been asked who is paying me to write the occasional reviews I put up here. The answer is, nobody. When I see a show that I like, I try to talk about it a bit--after all, this is a blog about my life, and sometimes I go to shows.

OK, enough of that. Back to "Nunsense."

When I first read the script for this, I laughed out loud. It's that funny. Seeing it brought to life by a superb ensemble had me howling with laughter. Really. People around me were looking at me, and I'm sure the lady next to me was happy she had her hearing aid in the opposite ear. Ron Watson has put together a cast that has an impeccable sense of timing, but also has voices that can rock the Palace!

The play's premise is very simple: the nuns are having a fund raiser because their cook, Sister Mary Julia (Child of God), accidentally poisoned fifty-two nuns at dinner one night. The remaining sisters have managed to raise enough money to bury forty-eight of them and buy a DVD player. So, they still have four nuns stashed in the freezer, much to the consternation of the Hoboken Health Department. This talent show is a supplementary fund raiser to bury the final four.

The cast is small: Sister Robert Anne (Arden Baxter), Mother Superior Sister Mary Regina (Melita McAtee), Sister Mary Hubert (Cathie Sheridan), Sister Mary Amnesia (Samantha Watson), and Sister Mary Leo (Sara Burke). Each of these women has a powerful voice, capable of soaring vocal excellence, but together, they sound...well...heavenly.

They are all musical veterans, even Sara, as young as she is. If you checked out the YouTube links I posted for "Jesus Christ Superstar," you will have heard Sara singing the role of Mary Magdalene.

Melita just finished playing Lillian in "The Oldest Profession" with me at Sam Bass. While she was wonderful as the aging hooker, seeing her in "Nunsense" lets me know that musical comedy is, indeed, her forte.

Samantha Watson, too, has gone from lady of the evening to daughter of God, as she was just in "The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas" at the Palace. She has a voice that will rock the rafters!

Arden Baxter has done both comedy and musicals at the Palace, including "Anything Goes," clips of which are also available on YouTube. I got goosebumps listening to her sing.

Cathie Sheridan was the vocal director for "Superstar," and also played Grizabella in "Cats." Her solo on "Holier Than Thou" is nothing short of brilliant.

Hats off, and a standing ovation to the cast and crew. The show runs for three more weekends. I'm going to try to see it again.