Review: Nuns raise money in song, 'A Wonderful Life' by radio, 'Mousetrap' is fine mystery
If you’re into dark humor, the musical comedy “Nunsense” may be right up your alley.
In this interactive performance, the remaining nuns of a tragedy-stricken convent in New Jersey may try to persuade you to become one of the Little Sisters of Hoboken. That’s because they need money for an urgent matter. You’ll want to make sure you’re paying close attention to the endeavors they tell you about. It may come in handy as this cast takes you along for this sinfully funny adventure.
The show: “Nunsense,” written by Dan Goggin and directed by Ann M. Ring, is presented by Barnstable Comedy Club.
What it’s about: Death, by means of botulism, sets its mark on a convent of nuns. Bad broth has left 52 of the sisters face down in their bowls of soup. A sister describes it as “kind of like the Last Supper.”
'Nunsense,' at Barnstable Comedy Club, is funny but may offend some
Catastrophe strikes again when the Reverend Mother spends funds meant for the sisters’ burial on a 3D, HD, flat-screen TV. This leaves the four remaining deceased sisters on ice (quite literally; their bodies are stored in the freezer). With no money to put the deceased into the ground, the sisters embark on many disastrous fundraising campaigns. But the answer to their problem may not be as far as they think.
Highlights of the show: These twisted sisters bring laughs, vocals and outrageousness to this entertaining production.
Kathy Hamilton is hysterical as Sister Mary Amnesia, with a persona reminiscent of Betty White. Her presence is delightful.
Mackenzie O’Sullivan, as Sister Mary Leo, has a powerhouse voice; you would never know she’s a junior in high school from the lovely vibrato.
One more thing: It’s uproarious when Reverend Sister smells a vial of drugs and transforms into an untamable wild woman complete with a Carmen Miranda fruit hat.
See it or not: See it for the wonderful performances, although some theatergoers might find aspects of the musical too disrespectful to Catholicism (I did).
Worth noting: The clever, cotton-candy-colored set of the auditorium at the nuns' school. At one end, there’s a diner for a student production of “Grease” — which one sister refers to as "Vaseline.”
If you go: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 19 at Barnstable Comedy Club, 3171 Main St., Barnstable. Tickets are $30 for general admission and $28 for people over 65 and students. You can purchase tickets at barnstablecomedyclub.org or by calling the box office at 508-362-6333.
Ambermae Rivard, contributing writer
Agatha Christie's 'The Mousetrap' is cozy murder mystery at Chatham Drama Guild
Filled with twists, turns and a jaw-dropping ending, the Chatham Drama Guild’s production of “The Mousetrap” is everything one could want in a murder mystery show.
As I watched, I penned important clues and guesses as to who-done-it only to be proven wrong by a twist I would have never expected. A gasp left my lips as the killer was revealed and everything I had thought to be true turned into a blatant lie.
The show: “The Mousetrap” written by Agatha Christie, directed by Scott Hamilton by special arrangement with Samuel French starring Erica Morris as Mollie Ralston, John O’Hara as Giles Ralston, John Hanright as Christopher Wren, Lee LaCroix as Mrs. Boyle, James Batzer as Major Metcalf, Violet Moos as Miss Casewell, Richard Wilber as Mr. Paravicini and Bragan Thomas as Detective Sargent Trotter.
What’s it about: Seven strangers find themselves snowed in at Monkswell Manor Guesthouse, 30 miles shy of London. While braving the bitter cold, each must face their individual past to figure out who among them is a murderer and who’s the killer’s next victim.
Highlights of the show: While all of the actors have their own talents, Thomas’ performance as Detective Sergeant Trotter stood out the most. The energy and exaggeration he gave to the character captivated me throughout the production. I was on the edge of my seat — literally — during his final scene in Act II only to leave still stunned by his performance. Bravo to Thomas; he deserves it.
See it or not: If you enjoy “Clue” you’ll enjoy “The Mousetrap,” I mean the play did inspire the famous murder-mystery movie. The trip to the Chatham Drama Guild is worth it for the ending scenes alone, I promise.
Worth noting: “The Mousetrap” is “the capper,” as Hamilton said in an address to the audience before the show, of the Chatham Drama Guild’s current season.
Fun fact: “The Mousetrap” debuted at the West End Theater in London in 1952 and has remained on stage for 70 years!
One more thing: The bar is cash only so come prepared if you want refreshments.
If you go: “The Mousetrap” will be at the Chatham Drama Guild until Nov. 26. Tickets are $22 to $25 and showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. The Chatham Drama Guild is located at 134 Crowell Road in Chatham. Tickets can be purchased at www.chatdramaguild.org/.
Frankie Rowley, frowley@capecodonline.com.
Holiday classic 'It's A Wonderful Life' shows value of community at Eventide in Dennis
Jingle bells, jingle bells ... or, in this case, a tiny celestial bell that rings each time an angel gets their wings. That’s at the heart of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” the famous holiday film we all grew up watching. It was creatively adapted, in 1996, as a live radio play, now performing at Eventide Theatre Company in Dennis. The old-time 1940s radio format has cast members performing in front of stand-up microphones like early vocalists. The speaking roles are augmented by special audio props wielded by practitioners known as foley artists, whose job in that era was to create the imaginative special effects for a radio show’s background.
Name of show: “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play”
Adapted from Frank Capra’s film (1946) by Joe Landry (in 1996), directed by Toby Wilson, performed by Eventide Theatre Company.
What it’s about: The setting is a fictional 1940s radio broadcast studio airing a drama production called “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
For the few remaining people in the Western world still unfamiliar with this American classic, “Wonderful Life” concerns a small, ordinary town called Bedford Falls, where one George Bailey, who’s lived there all his life, is mostly wishing he were someplace else. It’s the age-old story: George thinks that escaping his boring life for romantic destinations will lead to fulfillment, when really that fulfillment is happening in the present, right under his nose. Just when George, discouraged and stuck, feels about ready to pack it in, his guardian angel, who’s been watching from above, offers George a quick rewind of his life and shows him that the stars are really shining close to home after all. It’s a timely message that illustrates the transcending power of community in our lives.
See it or not: See it. No matter how many times we’ve seen this tale enacted, there’s usually nary a dry eye in the house at the conclusion, when George understands just what the world would’ve looked like without his steady presence, and joyfully retrieves his life. The bells sound from the top of the holiday tree, signaling that angel Clarence has earned his wings, a heavenly award. Here’s to George Bailey, “the richest man in town!”
Highlights: This show within a show is a great tutorial on how the world survived before television came to stay, when audiences nightly tuned into the worlds of their imagination. Audio comedies, dramas and mysteries were made “larger” through the work of foley artists, skilled practitioners who imagined and then created the sound effects that brought excitement, tension and a feeling of realism to the verbal action. It’s more than just the sound of footsteps or a door closing. In “Wonderful Life,” cast members and foley artists Steve Ross and Chuck Gifford work in sync, orchestrating their large table of props to create close to 70 different effects, responding to 140 sound cues. Corn flakes sounds like crunching snow; a plunger punched into a tub of water becomes someone splashing into a lake. Wind whistles, taxis pull up to the curb, doors slam, sirens wail and dropped items scatter on a surface. A hand-held microphone amplifies the effects, and it’s often a great laugh.
Interesting fact(s): The radio performances that captivated audiences from the 1930s through the era of World War II and beyond delivered magic to millions of listeners. Some of it still lives on with spoken word radio that flourishes on local stations throughout the country, and through live dramatizations like this one that illustrate just how the whole thing worked.
Worth noting: This cast of 12 plays more than 25 different roles, exchanging places in front of the studio mics. Leading the excellent ensemble are Frank Hughes as George Bailey, Susanna Creel as Mary Bailey, Bill Salem as Clarence and a superior Drew Krauss as Old Man Potter.
If you go: Performances of “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” are 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, with 2 p.m. matinees on Sundays, through Nov. 12. Performed on the Gertrude Lawrence Stage at Dennis Union Church, 713 Main St., Dennis. $31. Box office: 508-233-2148; more information at www.eventidearts.org.
Barbara Clark, contributing writer
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod Times reviewers check out new shows on Cape stages
