Drury Lane Theatre’s “Nunsense,” with Sherrise Hamilton, Rachel Carreras, Kelly Felthouse, Cory Goodrich and Aurora Boe/Photo: Caitlin Dennis
RECOMMENDED
A blast from the past-iche hits Drury Lane Theatre this summer in “Nunsense,” a vaudeville-style musical revue written for the Baby Boomer generation that premiered in 1985. One of the longest-running Off-Broadway productions and the basis of several sequels and numerous restagings, this show-within-a-show features five passionate nuns who sing, dance and joke their way to salvation, putting on a fund-raising variety show to pay off their debts. Dark humor and silly quips in equal amount are the milieu that frames the standout performances by the Little Sisters of Hoboken.
Director E. Faye Butler, who has an expansive history with the property, is adept at tricking the eye. Chaotic transitions between musical numbers instantly gel into the proceeding scene, which make the nineteen-song program whiz by in a blink. The result is that each moment feels fresh—more on that later—with new jokes and gags and minimal reprises of songs resisting any threat of a slump in the action.
For those unfamiliar with the franchise, the humor can be surprisingly and delightfully morbid. The sisters must stage a variety-show fundraiser to pay for the burial of their fellow nuns who have succumbed to a fatal case of botulism, their corpses stored temporarily in their freezer. The sisters’ backstory is revealed in “A Difficult Transition”; this and other expositional song-and-dance numbers—the dancing impressively performed in flowing frocks and habits—deliver the story as effectively, if not more so, than if the events had been actively shown.
Drury Lane Theatre’s “Nunsense,” with Kelly Felthouse/Photo: Caitlin Dennis
The tried-and-true show-within-a-show format allows each nun to strut her stuff. The standout is Kelly Felthouse as Sister Mary Amnesia. Suffering from a case of—you guessed it—memory loss, she wanders in and out of conversations, giving her a hilariously aloof and childlike demeanor. Perhaps the highlight of the show is a play on split personality disorder, where Sister Mary Amnesia has a tête-à-tête with a foul-mouthed hand puppet, the latter exposing “the cushy lives of freeloading convent dwellers.” Felthouse commits to the bit and absolutely steals the show.
Other performances make good use of the style of humor, which is replete with pop-culture references. The Act Two opener, “Growing Up Catholic,” has the ensemble expounding on what it is like to—you guessed it again—grow up Catholic. A critical yet heartfelt analysis of Catholic orthodoxy is delivered amidst sweeping harmonies. For those not raised Catholic, some references may go over one’s head, but one septuagenarian attendee mentioned to me after the show, “That’s what it was like! I knew all of those nuns when I went to Catholic school.” For Catholics, what the show lacks in catechism it makes up for in catharsis.
The fast pace of the show keeps the performances fresh, but the material is long past its expiration date. The bulk of the humor relies on pop-culture references from the eighties through the present. Sometimes this is effective, as when Sister Mary Leo (Aurora Boe) dances a succinct ballet solo dressed as Sally Fields in the television sitcom, “The Flying Nun.” Her delicate pirouettes and bombastic battements give the appearance of weightlessness and appropriately fits the reference. (A bingo scorecard included in the program for marking off famous musical theater references is also a fun addition.) However, references are mostly just dropped in, as if just mentioning that “The Clapper” and “Publisher’s Clearing House” exist is a punchline. While a step above the sounds of flatulence, this is surely one of the lower forms of comedy.
Drury Lane Theatre’s “Nunsense,” with Rachel Carreras/Photo: Caitlin Dennis
The show is dated by two obligatory, impromptu rap and tap dance showcases. The rap number is slow and reminds one of the clips of “resurrected media” found online, of digitized VHS tapes of well-meaning instructors giving stiff lessons on rap vocalization and hip-hop dance. To cite the internet, it’s “cringe.” The tap number, if one can be forgiven for nitpicking, begins with the line, “Tackle that temptation with a time step”—yet, among the beginner-intermediate-level steps of cramp rolls, Shuffle Off to Buffalos, and flap ball changes; one does not recall a single time step being performed. These two numbers feel included out of duty to the variety format and not for the sake of enjoyment.
As said, the musical is geared towards Baby Boomers, and those seeking a nostalgia trip are in for quite a journey. The humor is not so puerile that it overshadows the performances, and when the Little Sisters of Hoboken get going, they really go! “Nunsense” is light entertainment that is sure to tickle one’s funny bone, supported by a cast that delivers a heavenly performance.
“Nunsense” is on stage at Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace, through August 2. Tickets are $85-$150 and available at drurylanetheatre.com.
