Scarborough Music Theatre presents a crowd-pleasing Nunsense.
Theatre Scarborough is mounting a production of, 'Nunsense'.
Photo/RAPH NOGAL
Scarborough Music Theatre has been on a roll this season with crowd-pleasing shows that produce packed audiences and standing ovations.
Continuing on with the success from its premiere show, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the latest production, which is Nunsense, is a crowd-pleasing and entertaining show that also saw audiences on their feet for a performance well done.
Nunsense, by Dan Goggin, is a light-hearted and jovial show about six happy-go-lucky nuns with big personalities that shine through the habits they wear.
The Little Sisters of Hoboken, Mary Amnesia (Katie Wise), Mary Hubert (Lynette Fairweather), Robert Anne (Shannon Lew), Mary Leo (Rebecca Zadorsky) and Mary Annette (Sally Burke-Kleinman), led by the Reverend Mother, Sister Mary Regina (Marianne Derow), band together to host a benefit that's a cross between a comedy, variety show and musical.
They need to raise money to bury the last four of 52 nuns who died of botulism from poisoned soup. And if you're wondering how they survived: they were out playing bingo.
If that isn't weird enough, the reason why they ran out of money to bury the nuns is because Reverend Mother decided to buy an X-Box and now their unburied sisters are in the church freezer.
Set in the church auditorium, which is set up in preparation for a student performance of Grease, the five nuns entertain us with songs and skits that break the fourth wall and involve the audience, giving the show a spontaneous component that led to many laughs because you never know how someone will react.
Through it all, we get to hear how each of the ladies came to be a nun and who they wanted to be at one time. One wanted to be a ballerina, the other a stage performer and Sister Amnesia just wants to remember who she is.
They were nuns full of puns poking fun at every nun stereotype imaginable, and shared several Catholic-derived jokes that were funny but not in an offensive way.
A plot involving nuns is the last place you'd expect to find an entertaining evening at the theatre, but this show has everything when it comes to being a complete performance.
The set was realistic, depicting a real auditorium, and accompanying the ladies was Michael Jones on the keyboard, which was a nice departure from the usual 12-piece orchestra.
Vocally, the women were great both in solo and in harmony ensemble numbers, their energy was contagious and honestly, who knew nuns could be so funny?
There is also a hilarious video component that contains "audition" and "rehearsal" clips that is as funny as the nuns stage shenanigans, an accidental 'getting high' incident and a plethora of other funny and touching moments.
It can't be easy to go on stage fresh-faced and habit-clad and dance and sing to boot, but these ladies made it look easy and managed to be comedic at the same time. This show is silly but fun, and if nothing else, promises to make you laugh.
It's truly one of those shows that are better seen than described, so, if you do decide to see it, you won't be disappointed.
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Nunsense runs until Feb. 25, 8 p.m. at the Scarborough Village Theatre, 3600 Kingston Rd. Tickets are $25 and $21 for students and seniors. For tickets, call 416-267-9292 or visit www. theatrescarborough.com