This saucy, sparkling production of a popular favorite plays merrily with its basic premise: even if you're very, very good, you can laugh and dance to the joy of life.
Dan Goggin's idea is so simple that it started out as a line of greeting cards. Their immediate popularity prompted him to put his mischievous nuns on stage. He reworked a warmly received trial run (of 38 weeks!) into a longer piece that opened off Broadway in 1984 and then moved uptown for a ten-year run and 3.672 performances. Nunsense is the second-longest running Broadway musical -- surpassed only by The Fantasticks, also playing currently in Austin. Nunsense has played in 26 languages and 6000 productions worldwide, with a combined cast of about 25,000 women.
The Georgetown Palace did the show last August. That production was perky, fun and well applauded. The City Theatre version now on stage has the same energy and good humor, in the up-close intimacy of a playing space seating only a quarter the size of the Palace. Andy Berkovsky's version borrows virtually nothing from the Palace, other than the most important feature of all: its leading Reverend Mother, Mary Regina, created by Melissa McAtee.
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I saw this play Friday. Patty Rowell was nothing short of terrific. I try to see all her plays. She never disappoints. All the performers did extremely well, but she was outstanding as she always is, and desserves recognition as one of Austin's best performers in musicals. I know this play has been around the town frequently, but this rendition is great. If you haven't seen it, plan to do so. It does not have a long run, so time is of the essence if you want to be royally entertained.
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