On Saturday night my husband and I ventured out to the Kentucky Center to catch a performance of Nunsense, the newest Music Theatre Louisville production. Nunsense is a musical comedy that tells the story of the Order of the Little Sisters of Hoboken who were forced to hold a fundraiser after their cook, Sister Julia, accidentally poisoned 52 of the nuns from their convent.
Nunsense's humor comes from the show's take on nunnery--the idea that nuns aren't always as flawless as we might expect them to be. From the pink tennis shoes worn beneath Sister Mary Robert Anne's habit to Sister Mary Regina's brief on-stage encounter with drugs, the Sisters of Hoboken are not what you might expect them to be.
While the show is driven by its humor, other highlights come from audience interaction and habit manipulation. One of my favorite moments of the show was when Sister Mary Amnesia quizzed the audience over the history of the Sisters of Hoboken, handing out small tokens to participants in the audience. And though the actors never change out of their habits, they successfully perform many costume changes simply by cleverly manipulating their headdresses.
While the humor kept the audience entertained for most of the performance, I did find myself becoming a little disinterested toward the end of the first act. However, the second act, for me, was the highlight of the show. My feelings about the end of the first act didn't seen to be shared by too many others in the audience--the show was just as crowded after the intermission as it was before.
Laughter filled the Bomhard Theater the entire night, and more than half of the audience rose for a standing ovation at the end of the show. This was my first experience watching a Music Theatre Louisville production, and it won't be my last. If you get a chance, definitely catch Nunsense before it ends.
Nunsense is playing at the Kentucky Center for the Arts from July 20 through July 25 at 7:30 p.m. each night and on July 24 at 2 p.m. Visit the Music Theatre Louisville website for more details.
Photo courtesy Music Theatre Louisville
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