Heavenly Voices

Nunsense

Oh, dear Lord, in Heaven, help me! The Little Sisters of Hoboken have a huge problem on their hands. It seems that the convent cook, Sister Julia, Child of God, accidentally poisoned 52 of the nuns with her tainted vichyssoise! The Mother Superior and the remaining nuns, all of whom were out of town when the incident took place, have buried all but four of the deceased sisters. These poor nuns have been temporarily laid to rest in the kitchen freezer…for now, at least. 

However, with their coffers depleted, Sister Mary Regina, the order’s beloved Mother Superior, decides that she’s hit upon the quickest way to raise the necessary funds to bury the nuns who are on ice in the deep freeze. The five most talented of the sisters will stage a variety show on the Mount Saint Helen’s Middle School stage. The students there are presenting a production of GREASE, and the nuns decide that their sets will work well for their show, too. So, it’s with great pride that the Little Sisters of Hoboken present NUNSENSE, A MUSICAL COMEDY!

The production is directed with God-given talent and a modicum of Divine inspiration by E. Faye Butler, one of Chicago’s favorite actor/directors. Ms. Butler is the grateful recipient of several Jeff Awards for her boundless talent. She’s actually been involved with productions of NUNSENSE since the late 1980’s, when she first appeared in the show. 

What began as a series of humorous, nun-inspired greeting cards, Dan Goggin was convinced to write the book, music and lyrics for a Catholic cabaret show. Proving very popular, the show was eventually expanded into a full-length musical comedy, which opened Off-Broadway in 1985 and went on to play over 3,000 performances. It was eventually adapted for television and has also spawned six sequels and three spin-offs. Based on the strong audience reaction opening night, Drury Lane might want to consider adding some of these NUNSENSE sequels to their upcoming seasons.

Under Ms. Butler’s reverent and heavenly-inspired direction, the cast of NUNSENSE  is a quintet of saintly, but sassy, sisters. They are a righteous group of women with Heavenly voices, a sense of humor and a gift for comedy. Although the nuns are all dressed alike in their habits, thanks to “Sister” Rachel Sypniewski’s spot-on costume design and coordination, each actress creates her own individual character that stands out. 

Leading the order is Jeff Award-winning actress, Cory Goodrich. She portrays Sister Mary Regina, the beloved Mother Superior.  In addition to a glorious voice, Ms. Goodrich brings strength, wisdom and a slightly devilish sense of humor to the role. Cory was last seen at Paramount’s Copley Theatre as Heidi in WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME. But the singer/songwriter, author and actress began her professional career at Drury Lane as Maria, in THE SOUND OF MUSIC. She’s also dazzled audiences as Mother, in RAGTIME; June Carter-Cash, in RING OF FIRE; and loving mother and devoted wife, Alma Stossel, in several productions of THE CHRISTMAS SCHOONER. Taking stage with her toe-tapping “Turn Up the Spotlight,” Cory Goodrich’s star shines once again where she began her professional career.

Second in command is the Mistress of Novices, Sister Mary Hubert. She’s portrayed with spirit and a saucy spunkiness by the incredibly talented Sharriese Hamilton. Ms. Hamilton is a powerful, humorous and much-loved triple-threat, both in this production and in many previous productions. Sharriese appeared in the Broadway production of COME FROM AWAY and toured the show to Australia. She’s starred in regional presentations of ROCK OF AGES, AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’, THE COLOR PURPLE and FALSETTOS, among many others. Here she stands out in several songs, such as her duet with Ms. Goodrich, “Just a Coupl’a Sisters,” with Sister Leo in “The Biggest Ain’t the Best,” but she brings down the house with musical’s best number, “Holier Than Thou.”

As the lost soul, Sister Mary Amnesia, Kelly Felthous is, as always, wonderful. When a crucifix fell on her head, the young nun’s memory of who she is went right out the stained-glass window. Raising comedy to a new level, and caressing musical moments like “Lilacs Bring Back Memories,” “So You Want to Be a Nun,” and especially her big breakthrough number, “I Could Have Gone to Nashville,” that unmistakable voice fills the theatre with glory. Kelly has been seen and adored in ELF, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, CABARET, KINKY BOOTS and MATILDA, among so many shows.

Sister Mary Leo is an absolute delight, as portrayed by Aurora Boe. She’s back in the habit at Drury Lane, having been seen recently in SISTER ACT and WE WILL ROCK YOU. At Columbia College, where Aurora graduated with a BA in Musical Theatre, she appeared as Dot in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE.

And last, but definitely not least, is the impressive Rachel Carreras in the role of Sister Robert Anne. Since the character hails from Brooklyn, NY, she’s become the most popular nun with the kids in New Jersey. Sister Robert Anne is also a whiz with automotive mechanics and, as such, chauffeurs the convent car. The talented Rachel Carreras was last seen in Drury Lane’s production of  SISTER ACT, as Sister Mary Patrick. She also lent her magnificent voice to Kokandy’s production of AMELIE, Paramount Theatre’s BRIGHTER FUTURES and MARY POPPINS at Metropolis. She leads this production with “Veni Creator Spiritus,” and goes on to sing “Playing Second Fiddle” and, finally, her glorious plea to be noticed in, “I Just Want to Be a Star.” And Ms. Carreras definitely is just that.

The production features some spirited choreography by Kenneth E. Ingram, divine musical direction byJulia Schade and a colorful scenic design by Lauren M. Nichols, illuminated by Lee Fiskness’ ethereal lighting design. “Sister” Charlotte Rivard-Hoster conducts and plays keyboard for the brilliant five-member pit orchestra, lending her voice now and then as another character.

NUNSENSE is definitely going to be hit with every Catholic theatergoer, and especially anyone who has attended a Catholic school. The humor in Dan Goggin’s script has been updated a bit, but the musical remains as funny and filled with pious puns and humorous homilies as ever. I suspect that today’s audiences will find this spiritually uplifting, Ecclesiastically-based musical comedy as much fun as audiences did over 40 years ago. And that’s the true test of time for a piece of theatre. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that a gifted director has guided this production that features five incredibly talented actors who can raise the roof of the theatre with their handsome, Heavenly voices. 

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented June 10-August 2 by Drury Lane, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace, IL.

Tickets are available in person at the Drury Lane box office, by calling 630-530-0111 or by going to www.DruryLaneTheatre.com.

Additional information about this and other area shows may be found at www.theatreinchicago.com

Photos by Caitlin Dennis