 |
| Jennifer Yamashiro, Pruella Centers, Jeannine Stassens, Brandon Weaver, Wendy Bax. Photo credit to Jenn McFarling |
By Tina Arth
The Little Sisters of Hoboken have taken their show on the
road, so they must really like each other – how else to explain three of them
reprising a show I saw six years ago at a different theater? The current production
at Theatre in the Grove has a different director, several new cast members, a
petite orchestra, and the irrepressible Parker Pup collecting toys in the lobby
– but despite a few ragged moments, the heart of the show still beats strong,
and the silly, irreverent humor is definitely intact. Director Ken Centers
(with the help of the Reverend Mother’s piercing glare and Sister Mary Hubert’s
threatening yardstick) has transformed the most dysfunctional troop (and
troupe) of nuns in history into a total crowd-pleaser, and local audiences are
reveling in the fun.
Nuncrackers is the
Christmas-themed third of a series of sequels to playwright Dan Goggin’s
original musical nun-fest, Nunsense,
and like the others, it is filled with Catholic humor and a mixture of comic
and more touching songs. In this version, the Little Sisters are preparing to
do a live Christmas broadcast from their new television studio in the convent
basement (paid for with Sister Mary Paul’s Publisher’s Clearing House
winnings). Of course nothing goes right – Sister Mary Leo is on the injured
list right before her big ballet number, Father Virgil has to step in to cover
for the absent Sister Julia Child of God on her cooking show, Sister Mary
Robert Anne is relentlessly scheming on how to score a big solo number, and
Sister Mary Paul (aka Amnesia) delivers nonstop malapropisms that sometimes
leave little to the imagination. Of course, this is holiday themed musical
comedy, so the show must (and does) go on, with lots of help from an active audience
participation program. Oh – and the mystery of the stolen Christmas gifts is
resolved with the expected heartwarming solution!
The sisters have brought in three school kids from Mount St.
Helen’s Convent School, and the trio (Abrianna Feinauer, Rachel Newton, and Ian
Romig) brings a lot of comic and vocal talent to the show. Romig is a hoot to
watch, as he goes along with the ridiculous demands placed upon him – his body
says “I’m being a good sport” but his face tells a different story. Another high
point, setting the tone for the whole show, is the entire opening sequence
(instead of music or a conventional curtain speech, we get nuns telling
slightly off-color jokes and some truly bizarre Christmas gifts for a few lucky
audience members). Wendy Bax (Sister Mary
Paul) follows up her Secret Santa gig with a rendition of “Santa Ain’t Comin’
To Our House” straight from the back alleys of Dollywood, and the tutu-clad
Jeanine Stassens (Reverend Mother) and Brandon Weaver (Father Virgil) attack
“The Nutcracker” with surprising vigor – what they lack in grace, they make up
for in enthusiasm.
One of the best scenes is Weaver’s cooking show – in a world
where fruitcake humor can be mind-numbingly tired, Weaver uses little more than
physical comedy and fake fruit to leave the audience in stitches. The audience
is rooting from the start for Jennifer Yamashiro (Brooklyn-born Sister Mary
Robert Anne), but when she finally gets her big chance in “All I Want for
Christmas” it’s doubly poignant, as she’s joined on stage by son Noah doing a
couple of fine trumpet solos. Pruella Centers (Sister Mary Hubert) is as much
fun to watch as to listen to with the over-the-top vocal riffs in her big
number, “It’s Better to Give.”
Based on the nearly sold-out house, it looks like Theatre in
the Grove is once again demonstrating the company’s knack for offering just
what their audiences want. Many of the best seats are gone for upcoming
performances, so buy now!
Nuncrackers is
playing at Theatre in the Grove, 2028 Pacific Avenue, Forest Grove through
December 23d, with performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at
2:30 p.m.
No comments:
Post a Comment