07/07/2006

Some nuns have all the fun

'Nunsense' opens Thursday at Milliken

BY TOM CARR

tcarr@record-eagle.com

Record-Eagle/Jan-Michael Stump
The cast of Nunsense, front row from left: Megan Madison and Claire Gibbons. Back row from left: Khaki Pixley, Jennifer Smith, and Ashley Larimer.

TRAVERSE CITY — The five actresses in "Nunsense" have taken a vow of comedy.

The cast members are having a great time putting on habits for a local production of the hit musical comedy and finding out it can be fun to be a nun.

"What's better than a tap-dancing nun?" said Megan Madison, who plays Sister Hubert in the Miracle Productions of Traverse City presentation.

The play, the second of three being presented by Miracle Productions this summer, is the tale by playwright Dan Goggin of five Catholic nuns in a convent after 52 of their fellow sisters die suddenly from botulism. They only have enough money to bury 48 of them, so they decide to put on a show to raise funds to bury the remaining four "blue nuns" in the freezer.

"The premise is so ridiculously ludicrous," producer/director Pat Gallagher said. "I think Dan Goggin did that because he didn't want it to smack of getting political."

The play includes the nuns singing and dancing in full habit, waxing nostalgic about the days when most nuns did wear habits and other things that have changed about the church, and interacting with the audience.

Playing nuns in a comedy presents certain challenges, the actresses said. They must capture the subdued nature of nuns, while still playing for laughs. Having them all dressed alike without their ears or hair showing is also a challenge.

"We all have to shine through our characters because we're all so monochromatic in the way we dress," said Khaki Pixley, who plays prankster Sister Robert Anne.

Jennifer Smith is not Catholic, so she said she attended a Mass and has been watching nuns on Catholic cable channels to research her part, the stern but loving Rev. Mother Regina.

But Gallagher said the humor is mostly universal, so people don't have to be Catholic to enjoy. She said it's also appropriate for all ages.

Rounding out the cast are Claire Gibbons as Sister Mary Amnesia, who lost her memory when a crucifix fell on her head, and Ashley Larimer as the innocent and impressionable Sister Mary Leo.

Gallagher, an eighth-grade language arts teacher, started Miracle last summer as a venue for college students majoring in music and theater.

The company did one production, "Godspell," last year. This year, it started the season with a reprise of "Godspell." After "Nunsense" comes "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat."

Gallagher said the intent was not to do all religion-themed shows; the first three just happened to have religious themes.

"I want them to be family entertainment," she said.

For next year, she's looking into a production of "Forever Plaid" and other family-friendly fare.

The play will open at Milliken Auditorium at Northwestern Michigan College beginning July 13, continuing July 14, 15, 20-22 and 27-29. Performances start at 7:30 p.m.

For tickets, call 995-1553.