NUNSENSE II
The
current show at Little Theatre of Fall River is
Nunsense II. The Second Coming takes place six
weeks after the sisters have staged their first
benefit. The Little Sisters of Hoboken,NJ are
back presenting a "thank-you" show for all the
people who supported them in the past to help
bury their dead nuns. But now they're a bit
slicker having been "bitten by the theater bug".
Things get off to a rousing start as the five
sisters sing "Nunsense, the Magic Word" but
before long chaos erupts. Two Franciscans, big
Sister Brunhilde and Little Sister Fritz, come
to claim Amnesia who has won the Publishers
Clearing House Sweepstakes as one of their own.
At the same time the nuns hear that there is a
talent scout in the audience to see them strut
their stuff. From the Reverend Mother's grand
entrance at the start of the show to the rousing
finale "There's Only One Way to End Your Prayers
and That's to Say Amen", this high energy show
which is a sequel to "Nunsense", will have you
roaring with laughter at these five talented
actresses. Director Ron Robinson and musical
director Dennis Robinson cast five talented
women in these roles and their acting, singing
and dancing will entertain you all night long,
winning them a standing ovation at the end of
the show.
Ron
blocks the nuns and does the musical staging
beautifully. He has them walk into the audience
in several scenes, making the audience a part of
the show. Dennis not only taught the music for
the show but plays the lead keyboards,
too. Choreographers Jeff Belanger and Janice
McDonald create marvelous dance numbers for the
show which include tap-dance, ballet, polka,
kick-line and can can. Stage manager Bev
Robinson keeps things running smoothly all night
long. Because it isn't as well known as the
first show, I'll give a synopsis of it. The
variety show uses "The Mikado" set as the
background. A high speed recap of the first show
is given by Hubert from a scroll and acted out
by Robert Anne, Amnesia and Leo. A note arrives
to tell them a talent scout sent by Ed
McMahon is in the audience so they sing "Winning
is Just the Beginning'' and they play directly
to the audience to impress them. This leads to a
wacky bingo game run by Amnesia with everyone
winning at the same time. Sister Leo the novice
wants to be a ballerina nun but Regina forbids
her to wear her tutu and toe shoes. So she sings
"The Prima Ballerina" on roller skates. Hubert
advises Leo "The Biggest Still Ain't the Best"
while Robert Anne tells Regina "I've Got
Pizazz". Regina feels confident the show will be
a success and proclaims so in her show stopping
number called "Look Ma, I Made It" which ends
with her strutting around holding large fans.
Regina then introduces the newest singing
sensation, Amnesia who re-enters the stage
with Sister Mary Annette, her puppet to perform
"The Country Nun" while wearing blue cowboy
boots. Later on she plays the accordion
during "The Padre Polka" while Leo and Hubert
polka together. The nuns then receive a phone
call which makes Regina faint. Amnesia gives her
the Saki which was for the Mikado. Regina and
Hubert get drunk in a hilarious segment about
wanting to be old time movie stars in "The
Classic Queens". Their major problem now in the
Franciscans claim they want Amnesia back and the
money she won, too. Act 1 closes with Hubert and
Regina dancing as geisha girls while the others
do a soft shoe/ tap dance in "Hat and Cane
Song." Hubert sings Clang, Clang went the
Trolley to end Act 1.
Act 2
opens with the nuns trying to figure out what
the Franciscans are up to. Robert Anne
entertains the audience with her habit humor
then moves the audience to tears with
"Angeline", a song about her friend Annie Green
who doesn't like the new habits. They think up
different ways to make money like the "Catholic
Guide to Gift Giving", "We're the Nuns to Come
to When You Go" and Hubert wishes it was 1962
again and she and Regina sing "What Would Elvis
Do?" which stops the show with its powerful
rendition while the other three do a can-can to
"Yes We Can". Robert Anne declares "She is Here
to Stay" while the sing along number is "What a
Catastrophe". Regina returns telling Amnesia she
must go and Amnesia sings a tear jerking number
"No One Cared Like You". But since this is a
Nunsense show, you must have a happy ending
Regina and Hubert declare "The Only Way to End
Your Prayers" is to shout Amen when they point
at the audience. All the women do an excellent
job in their roles. Commanding the stage is
Elizabeth Teixeira as Reverend Mother has a
wonderful Irish brogue and wins many laughs with
her lines and in her solo number as "Look Ma
I Made It" when dressed as the statue of Liberty
to sets her brother's pants on fire and he has a
couple of bottle rockets in his back pocket and
moving the crowd to more laughter in the "The
Only Way to End Your Prayers" duet. Elizabeth
and Maryann are hysterical as the Geisha girls
who close the first act with their drunken
antics. The second in command, Sister Hubert,
the mistress of the Novices is played by Maryann
Goulart. She is a topnotch stage manager but in
this show gets to show off her wonderful singing
voice in "The Biggest Still Ain't the Best", the
duet "Classic Queens" and brings down the house
in the gospel number "The Only Way to End Your
Prayers". One of her funniest lines to Regina is
"Roll back the rock, Lent is over." Robert Anne,
the street wise nun from Brooklyn is played by
Christine Roy who is a hoot with her habit humor
and touching in her poignant song "Angeline"
inducing tears from the audience. Amnesia is
Cheryl Field who keeps the crowd in stitches
throughout the show especially in the ill fated
bingo game, playing her accordion and with her
puppet, the foul mouth Sister Mary Annette and
moving the audience to tears in "No One Cared
Like You" the most touching ballad in this
show.. Erin Cote is Leo who does a hilarious
roller skating routine and wins many laughs as
this adorable novice nun.. So for a fabulous
look at the Little Sisters be sure to catch this
hilarious show where you won't stop laughing all
night long.
NUNSENSE II (15 to 25 July, 2010)
Little Theatre of Fall River, The Fire Barn, 340 Prospect Street, Fall River, MA
1(508)675-1852 or www.littletheatre.net