Nunsense - Rockdale Musical Society

Post

Subscribe

Fri 03 Aug 2012 - Sun 09 Sep 2012

Rockdale Musical Society presents Nunsense, at Bexley RSL & Community Club, from Friday 31st August to Sunday 9th September, 2012.

Nunsense is a musical comedy about five nuns and their quest to raise money by hosting a variety show. You may ask, "How entertaining can five nuns and their fundraising efforts be?" Once you realise their reason for raising money you will be hooked…

Since the original production of Nunsense, written by Dan Goggin, opened in 1985 the show has been played worldwide. It has been so successful that it was translated into more than 25 languages and has had a sequel and a spin off television series.
I realised within minutes, of Rockdale Musical Society's opening night, that Nunsense was not just a show but an experience. With talented and experienced James Worner as director, audience participation was a priority from the first minute. The cast walked amongst the audience, told jokes and gave out a few prizes (I really wish I had won that keyring with Saint what's his name's picture on it).

Nunsense started with the unfortunate situation of 52 of the Sisters of Hoboken dying of food poisoning (due to a meal cooked by Sister Julia, Child of God). With only 5 nuns remaining, they only had just enough money to bury the ones that passed away – well most of them anyway. Four sisters were 'on ice' and the motivation to raise funds to bury them reached desperation level.



The 5 cast members were very talented and seemed to get through opening night without any complications. Leonie Johnson played a strict and conservative Reverend Mother; her strong singing voice was unique and was well suited to the role she played. Renee Bechara played the devoted but modern Sister May Hubert. This was Miss Bechara's second time playing in this role (previously with another theatre group) and she seemed at ease on the stage. My favourite cast member was Rozlyn Vidal (Sister Robert Anne); she was so animated on the stage. Miss Vidal performed with every inch of her body and was a delight to watch. Lauren Mellor was perfect in the role of innocent and sweet Sister Mary Leo. Her beautiful voice matched the character perfectly. And, Virginia Natoli (Sister Mary Amnesia) was a treasure box of talent. Like all of the cast members, Miss Natoli was an outstanding singer and a talented dancer, but I didn't expect her to be a talented ventriloquist as well!

While the show was laced with enough hilarious and cringe-worthy nun and Catholic jokes to make the 52 passed nuns roll in their graves (well 48 of them for the moment), there were lots of other seriously funny scenes. My favourite scene was Revered Mother's unfortunate exposure to illicit substances. Along with most of the other audience members, and Reverend Mother herself, I was in stitches. It was moments like these that helped me to realise why Nunsense has been so successful over the years and why it has a huge following. It really is one of those shows that everybody needs to see at least once.



Tickets for Rockdale Musical Society's Nunsense are available online or by phone (1300 244 523). The venue, Bexley RSL & Community Club, is small, friendly and comfortable. Seating for the show was at tables, so it is a good opportunity to see a show in a relaxed setting. The club serves meals which looked generous and appealing and many audience members ate their meals while watching the show. Another option is to get a meal at one of the nearby restaurants or cafes before the show. The Beverley Hills restaurant and café strip is just around the corner, on King Georges Road, and there you can find food from almost any part of the world.

#september
#august
#beverly_hills
#bexley
#comedy
#community_theatre
#music
#rockdale
#theatre
#theatres
#things_to_see
#west
!date 03/08/2012 -- 09/09/2012
%wnsydney