Nunsensations opens this week

Published 9:10 pm Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Hey, Bainbridge Little Theatre fans!

Remember the hilarious nuns from the musical shows “Nunsense” and “Nunsense II,” produced by BLT in the 1990s?

Well, they’re back to repeat their antics in “Nunsensations, the Vegas Revue.”

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The show opens at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 13, at the theater on Troupe Street.

Writer and composer Dan Goggin’s original “Nunsense,” a Broadway hit in 1985, has been a favorite of community theater groups world-wide.

Spurred by that success, Goggin wrote five sequels, placing the gregarious nuns in various precarious and unlikely situations.

Well, this time they are off on a new adventure to Las Vegas. That’s right—“Sin City.”

Director Thaddeus Nifong claims, “This is the most outrageous ‘Nunsense’ show of all because of the Vegas-style costumes and headdresses they wear.”

You may wonder why Vegas?

It seems a church parishioner back in Hoboken, N.J., offered to make a much-needed donation of $10,000 to the church’s school if the nuns would just perform in a Las Vegas club.

The Mother Superior, (Martha Mobley) is naturally reluctant to pursue the challenge, as she herself comes from a family of circus performers, and knows all too well the temptations and negative life styles that can be exemplified in a show business environment.

However, the other four sisters are eager to accept, and they manage to convince her that if it is true that “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

So, although the Reverend Mother remains skeptical, off they go for a glitzy, feathery, fun-filled show of singing and dancing in The Pump Room at the Vegas Mystique Motor Lodge. This is Mobley’s third appearance in a “Nunsense” show.

Second in command to the Mother Superior, is Sister Mary Hubert, played by Amy Wells, who is appearing in her second “Nunsense” show. She is known as the Mistress of Novices who undertakes the initiation and training of all newcomers to the order.

Colquitt’s own Debbie Sloan, long associated with BLT productions, makes her third appearance here as one of the nuns. As Sister Mary Paul, (better known as Sister Amnesia) she breathes life into her beloved puppet, Sister Mary Annette.

Another BLT veteran actress appearing for the third time in a “Nunsense” show is Ida Cooksey. She continues in the role of Sister Robert Anne, the gym teacher at the Hoboken school. The students really relate to her as she is a former gang member from Brooklyn.

Jennifer Barineau, a resident of Tallahassee, Fla., comes to the Bainbridge stage as Sister Mary Leo, a former dancer who tries to dedicate her life to God through “the dance.” Barineau will be remembered by BLT patrons for her portrayal of Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady.”

Musical director for the show is high school choral teacher and director Michael Inlow. Choreography is by Susan Livingston-Higdon of Tallahassee. Both Inlow and Livingston-Higdon have been in charge of the music and dance for most of the BLT musicals performed in the last 10 years.

Writer and composer Goggin draws on his early life experiences as a school boy with the Marywood Dominican Sisters and his days as a seminarian to create these memorable, hilarious, lovable characters enjoyed by theater goers for years to come.

Show dates are May 13-15 and Friday, May 22, at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees on May 16 and May 23 at 2:30.

For reservations, call 246-8345 Monday through Friday between 1 to 6 p.m., or by e-mail bainbridgelittletheatre@gmail.com