Reprieved 'Nunsense' hasn't lost its touch
Beginning last fall with a smartly reimagined regional premiere of "The Producers," and continuing with a triumphant revival of "Les Miserables" earlier this year, big shows have dominated Marriott Theatre this season.
But the Lincolnshire theater scales things back considerably with Rachel Rockwell's gleeful, broadly played production of the suburban perennial "Nunsense," Dan Goggin's musical about five quirky nuns hosting a talent show to raise money to bury their fellow sisters who succumbed to tainted vichyssoise.
To the uninitiated, such a modest show (in every sense) might suggest the theater had exhausted its appetite for spectacle. Hardly. It does however, reaffirm that the folks at Marriott do things efficiently.
Case in point, the transition between the just-closed "Les Mis" and the just-opened "Nunsense." In its 32-year- history, the theater has rarely been dark. A show closes Sunday; previews for the next show begin Wednesday. The transition proved especially smooth this time since "Nunsense" unfolds on the set of a production of "Les Miserables." It also makes several references to the Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg blockbuster. An inside joke for Marriott regulars, the scheduling also reflects how shrewdly the theater operates, and how well it knows its audience.
Since its debut off-Broadway 25 years ago, "Nunsense" has remained an audience favorite spawning six sequels (including the all-male "Nunsense A-men!") and countless revivals including a half dozen in the Chicago area in recent years. Light and breezy, it's a fine antidote to its overwrought predecessor.
Director/choreographer Rockwell's quintet features both veterans and newcomers, including Chicago favorite Alene Robertson, reprising the role of the endearingly overbearing (and over-imbibing) Mother Superior she played at Marriott 11 years ago. After an absence of four years, Robertson returns to the theater in fine form. She's matched by Melody A. Betts (who raises the roof with her gospel-tinged second act solo) as Sister Mary Hubert, the order's long-suffering, second-in-command. Debbie Laumand-Blanc earns kudos for her near scene-stealing turn the tough-talking, spotlight-craving Sister Robert Anne. Abby Mueller delivers a comic gem of a performance as the dotty Sister Mary Amnesia, whose unfortunate encounter with a crucifix has robbed her of her memory. Lastly, there's Laura E. Taylor's sweet turn as the aspiring ballerina Sister Mary Leo. All of them bring a great sense of fun to their roles and Rockwell keeps them hoofin' in numbers like the jolly opener "Nunsense is Habit-Forming" and the charming tap number "Tackle That Temptation with a Time Step," that concludes Act One.
The show repeats itself, some of Goggin's shtick feels tired and tightening the two hours to an intermissionless 90 minutes wouldn't hurt. Still "Nunsense" remains a pleasant little diversion, sort of like a sweet sorbet after a heavy meal.
"Nunsense"
2 1/2 stars
out of four
Location: Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire
Times: 1 and 8 p.m. Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 1 and 5 p.m. Sundays through July 13
Running Time: About two hours with intermission
Tickets: $40 to $55 (dinner packages extra)
Parking: Free lot adjacent to theater
Box office: (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com
Rating: For most ages