Early in the season, the number of cast members in shows at the Wagon Wheel was in double digits.
Both "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "High School Musical" had large numbers of actors.
But as the season draws to a close, the number of actors in a show dwindles. "Brighton Beach Memoirs" had seven, and the final show this year, "Nunsense," has only five women. So each actor has to carry more of the weight of a show.
Fortunately for audiences of "Nunsense," they get the cream of the crop of actresses to entertain them: Beckie Menzie, Chelsea Waller, Jennifer Dow, Jennie Sophia and Ashley Travis.
However, while the acting and singing are just fine, I found parts of the show to kind of drag. That's because of the show itself, not because of the talent on the stage. There were just moments when I wanted to hit fast forward and get to the next song or joke or skit.
"Nunsense" takes place in New Jersey. The Sisters of Hoboken have a problem - Sister Julia accidentally poisoned 52 of the sisters in the convent. While the remaining sisters managed to raise money and bury 48 of the sisters, four are in the freezer waiting to be buried. The Board of Health wants them out of the freezer for obvious health reasons. The nuns need to raise more money for the burials, so they put on a fundraiser.
Leading the sisters is the Reverend Mother Mary Regina, played by Menzie. Fans of Menzie know she has vocal talent. But she hasn't performed on the stage at the Wagon Wheel as an actress for about 10 years. In "Nunsense," audiences get to see Menzie's acting skills once again.
The funniest scene for Menzie is when The Reverend Mother accidentally gets drunk. She eats almost a whole box of Jack Daniels chocolates. Menzie plays up the silly side of drunkenness and it works very well.
Second in command under The Reverend Mother is Sister Mary Hubert (Waller). Her name is a running joke throughout the show.
Waller really knows how to belt out a song. While a number of songs she sings are great, her phenomenal number comes at the end of Act II. "Holier Than Thou" had audiences clapping and smiling along to Waller and the beat. She totally and inarguably owns that song. While there really is no song in "Nunsense" that gets stuck in your head, "Holier Than Thou" comes close because of Waller.
"Holier" isn't the only place where audiences get to participate in "Nunsense." From the start, the cast interacts with the audience. When The Reverend Mother initially comes out, the other nuns have the audience cheering "Whoop! There she is!" And all the audience members opening night Wednesday whooped it up. In other spots, certain audience members are singled out for one-on-one with a nun, or given a prize for answering a quiz question correctly.
Asking the quiz questions is Sophia as Sister Mary Amnesia. Sister Amnesia lost her memory as a result of a crucifix falling on her head.
Sophia plays Amnesia as a woman who might just have lost her smarts too when she lost her memory. Sophia can play dramatic, she can play lovely, and with "Nunsense" she demonstrates how easily it is for her also to play comedy.Before Sister Amnesia gives the quiz, she tells a joke about an Apostles clock that may not be too appropriate to tell here, but it's delivered by Sister Amnesia so innocently, it comes off that much more hilarious. Not only is Sister Amnesia not aware that what she says is a joke, she's also not aware how inappropriate it is for a nun to tell.
Sophia also gets a scene to share with a hand puppet. She brings the puppet to life, giving it its own voice. While Sister Amnesia is a bit of a ditz, the hand puppet is brash and sassy and grumpy. It's like Sophia playing two roles at once.
Sister Mary Leo (Travis) wants to serve God in dance. But The Reverend Mother won't let her wear a tutu. And when Sister Mary Leo does a skit on "The Dying Nun," The Reverend Mother doesn't approve. However, it's a good moment for Travis to show off her comedy skills. It also leads to a moment where Travis gets to utter a take on Sally Field's famous Oscar quote, "They like me! They really, really like me!"
Sister Robert Anne (Dow) can't seem to do any right by The Reverend Mother. She wants a part in the show, but Sister Mary Regina relegates her to being the understudy. When Dow's character reenacts the Wicked Witch from "The Wizard of Oz," The Reverend Mother doesn't approve. However, Dow plays the scene so well, audiences will more than chuckle.
Dow also gets to do impressions of several famous women, from Princess Leia to the late great Katherine Hepburn. The Hepburn impression, by the way, is spot on.
Dow has comedy down on the stage. In "Nunsense," she really gets to be at the top of her game. In fact, all five of the talented women do their best comedy. Who says a large cast is always best?
Audiences will definitely laugh and have a good time throughout "Nunsense," though there are some bumps along the way.
One bump for me was the dancing during the song "Tackle That Temptation With a Time Step." The actresses, of course, could dance it - but I wasn't feeling that there should be any dancing at all in the song - or at least not as long as it was. Sometimes, less is more.
But the humor will smooth that over for most people. There's various kinds of humor throughout the show, from simple jokes to skits to the plot that moves the comedy along.
How do you make holy water? Boil the hell out of it.
How do you find a good night of humor? Get tickets to "Nunsense" at the Wagon Wheel Theatre.
My rating (out of four): 3.25.
"Nunsense" runs through Sept. 5 at the Wagon Wheel. Single adult tickets are $30 for all shows. Tickets for students 13 years old through college are $16, and children 12 years old and under are $12. Special rates are available for groups of 15 or more. To order tickets, or for more information, call the box office at 574-267-8041 or toll free at 866-823-2618, or online at www.wagonwheeltheatre.com
