Nunsense, at the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse in Johnstown, CO from January 10 to March 3, 2019, is a frothy confection that, unlike Sister Julia, Child of God’s cooking, never lays an egg.
The Little Sisters of Hoboken strutting their stuff on the high school gym’s stage for Vaseline….er…Grease!
There’s been a disaster at the convent of the Little Sisters of Hoboken – Sister Julia, Child of God has inadvertently poisoned 52 of the sisters with her vichyssoise soup. To raise funds for their burial the convent started a greeting card business, which is a success. But before the last four sisters can be buried, the Mother Superior makes the mistake of depleting their remaining funds by buying a large plasma TV and a DVD player.
The solution? The five most talented of the remaining sisters put on must put on a variety show at the local high school gym.
Nunsense, with book, music and lyrics by Dan Goggin, has has audiences rolling in the aisles since 1985 and the Candlelight’s production, directed by Pat Payne and with choreographer by Stephen Bertles, is no exception.
Nunsense is really a series of set pieces – or variety show acts! – giving each of the five nuns a chance to really showcase her talents. In between, Mother Superior Mary Regina desperately attempts to maintain order as she deals with hints of insubordination from her second-in-command Sister Hubert, Brooklynite Sister Robert Anne’s attempts to go from understudy to star, and the time crunch as the New Jersey board of health isn’t too happy with what’s in the convent’s freezer. Then there’s the problem of helping Sister Amnesia regain her memory….
Novice Sister Mary Leo (Abigail Hanawalt) rises on her toes for the glory of God
Director Pay Payne has assembled a fine ensemble cast that delivers razor-sharp comedic timing, and author Dan Goggin has provided each of the sisters with their own individual moment to grab the spotlight.
Novice Sister Mary Leo wants to be the first ballerina nun, and Abigail Hanawalt’s ballet solo is a delight.
Sister Robert Anne from Brooklyn (Sarah Grover) is a fine mimic and her impersonations of everyone from Sally Field of the Flying Nun to the Phantom in the Phantom of the Opera are hilarious. Grover delivers the poignancy of her character as well.
Lisa Kay Carter is charming and sweet as the bubbly Sister Amnesia, who really has a set of pipes on her as she demonstrates in “I Could Have Gone To Nashville.”
Heather McClain’s Sister Hubert big number doesn’t come until the end with “Holier than Thou,” but she and the Mother Superior make a fine team with “Just a Couple of Sisters.”
Holding it all together is the commanding presence of Samatha Jo Staggs as the Mother Superior, who never really loses her dignity even after she accidentally gets high. Stagg’s physicality and comedic skills are really on display here.
Sister Julia, Child of God’s cookbook…it would probably sell really well. Lisa Kay Carter as Sister Amnesia, Samantha Jo Staggs as the Mother Superior, and Heather McClain as Sister Hubert
The five nuns are ably supported by a trio of musicians – musical director Phil Forman who plays keyboard (and is allowed to get into the act on occasion), Christopher Norwood on bass and John Meriwether on percussion.
As the song goes, Nunsense is habit-forming. Don’t miss it.
The Cast
| Mother Superior | Samantha Jo Staggs |
| Sister Hubert | Heather McClain |
| Sister Robert Anne | Sarah Grover |
| Sister Mary Leo | Abigail Hanawalt |
| Sister Amnesia | Lisa Kay Carter |
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The Food
Chicken Parmesan with a deliciously spicy sauce, and pasta. Dinner salad and for dessert, Maple Bacon Bread pudding
The Candlelight themes its entrees to the show it is presenting. New Jersey and Hoboken in particular are known for their Italian restaurants, so we’ve got a variety of choices such as chicken parmesan, lasagna, pizza Margherita and herb-encrusted tilapia.
Desserts include tiramasu, cannoli, blueberry cobbler, Italian lemon cream cake, grape sorbert, and among their traditional ice cream offerings, Spumoni!
How to get to the Candelight
The Candlelight Dinner Playhouse is conveniently located just off I-25. It’s about an hour north of Denver or an hour south of Cheyenne, WY. Take exit 254. The sign for the Candlelight is rather small, use as your landmark the extremely large RV sign!
