Month: May 2019

Review: Nunsense

Theatre

Catholics and non-Catholics alike will get a kick out of Nunsense, directed by Nick Charles at Stage Door Repertory Theatre. Written by Dan Goggin, the quirky musical is full of song, dance, jokes, and a lot of audience participation. The Little Sisters of Hoboken pull the audience into the show by ad-libbing, joking, and encouraging big laughs.

The five nuns are putting on a benefit in order to raise the money needed to bury their four remaining sisters after their cook, Sister Julia, Child of God, accidentally poisons 52 of the 71 sisters at the convent with one of her concoctions. If only Reverend Mother Sister Regina hadn’t bought that jacuzzi tub, there wouldn’t be four nuns in the freezer…

Kerry Hedley plays a forceful, but funny Reverend Mother, taking control of the show until she gets too loopy to go on. Alesha Gilliam plays her witty rival, Sister Mary Hubert, with smarts and sass that only a second-in-command could get away with.

Cynthia Meade as Sister Robert Anne, the nun from New York, has street smarts to match her desire for a solo number. Her fun personality and determination make the audience just as excited as she is when she gets to go on.

The young nuns keep the fun going as Sister Mary Leo (Maya Valenciano) dreams of being the first ballerina nun with a beautiful pointe solo and Sister Mary Amnesia (Jessica Cosley) just tries to remember who she is. Both bring beautiful voices to the stage that balance out the overall sound.

Under the musical direction of Jubel Obien and Emily Turner’s fun choreography, all five women shine. Come see these hilarious sisters sing, dance, and joke through May 26th! You won’t want to miss it.

Have you seen the show? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

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Review: Hair

Theatre

Gerome Ragini and James Rando’s Hair approaches issues as relevant today as they were in during its writing in 1964. Sex, drugs, rock and roll (and nudity) are all prevalent in Mysterium Theater’s production directed by Marla Ladd.

The ensemble cast comes together to bring this story to life in a fun and visually-pleasing way. The set is interesting and interactive as the cast uses a large center platform and the stage around to create multiple levels in both blocking and choreography.

Joshua Adler is the standout star as George Berger. His acting choices and strong vocals bring the character, and the story, out in an interesting way. He really pulls the audience in so that you want to head on up and live alongside him with “harmony and understanding”.

Jennifer Harmon plays up the comedy as Jeannie and is a pleasure to watch in every scene. She draws the eye to her with all of her in-character reactions, especially in playing an obviously pregnant character, really honing in on the emotions and physical feelings of a woman in that state.

Nichole Whiter shares her pain with the audience as Shiela, pulling on heartstrings with her ballad about her love for Berger, though he does not return it and the audience has just seen is abusive toward her. Jessica Taylor’s Ronnie is spunky and energetic, moving with the music and belting out the well-known songs with passion and flare.

Other notable performers are Luis E. Ceja (Margaret Mead), Allan P. Cason (Hud), and Christine DePalmo (Crissy). Additionally and quite impressively, Frank Cope stepped last minute into the challenging role of Claude with only 3 rehearsals and presents an expressive performance. The entire cast does a wonderful job of working together to bring the incredible vocals to life.

Hair runs through May 19th and Mysterium Theater in La Habra, CA. Make sure to check it out while there’s still time! Have you already seen it? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

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