Theater Preview: "Nunsense!"

From the outset, "Nunsense!" promised to be an engaging interactive performance. The play-within-a-play format allowed characters to acknowledge, address and sometimes interact directly with the audience. At the Tuesday night preview, the nuns came out to greet and mingle with audience members prior to the start of their fundraising variety show, and later one of the sisters gave a quiz complete with prizes.

The premise of the musical is rather macabre. The sisters of Hoboken, New Jersey, put on a benefit show to raise money so they can bury four of their sisters who died in an accidental mass poisoning. Of the 71 sisters, only 19 survived (though we only see six of these) because they were out playing bingo with another convent. At one point, the nuns even try to sell a recipe book which includes the poison soup. The audience witnesses the song-and-dance routines of the "show" as well as the frustrations and arguments of the nuns who, in their bumbling inexperience, cannot keep their humorous interactions backstage.

At times, the show seems to mock Catholicism and nuns in general, and the context adds some shock value to a few sexual innuendos. The characters themselves are vibrant caricatures, not what one would expect to find in a convent. And considering the disaster that seems to follow the group around, not what one would hope.

While highly entertaining, the show does not have an obviously profound message. If anything, it's about identity. Each character has a strong individual identity in the close-knit ensemble, and as the show progresses, each has the chance to tell her story and reflect back on why she chose life in a convent.

The cast of freshmen and sophomore women portrayed their characters consistently and well Tuesday evening. Mother Superior Mary Regina's soft British air, Sister Mary Amnesia's incessant confusion, Sister Hubert's powerful voice, Sister Mary Leo's quiet grace, and Sister Robert Ann's Brooklyn attitude and accent all added a delightful richness to those characters. One or two of the songs had less vocal strength, but in the small performance area of the Mainstage Theater, they could still be easily heard.

The show was directed by Elizabeth Risser as part of a practicum. Cast includes Marissa Benner, Lena Risser, Kirstin Getz, Erica Yoder, Mallory Parker, Eojin Lee (pianist). Performances will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday both this week and next.