Review: Sisters get their habits in a right tangle

Sister Amnesia (Sue Morrison), Sister Mary Leo (Rose Haumate), Sister Mary Hubert (Susan Wenborn) and Reverend Mother (Val Isherwood). Photo / Fotozone

Those at the Rotorua Musical Theatre’s 70th birthday enjoyed a pre-season performance of its latest production Nunsense. Jill Nicholas was in the audience.

Do not rock up to the Rotorua Musical Theatre's platinum anniversary show expecting to be bedazzled by leggy showgirls, feather headdresses and all that traditional showbiz jazz.

Instead, prepare to spend the night with a quintet of nuns with their habits in a tangle.

The Little Sisters of Hoboken are in a race against the health inspector's clock to raise funds to bury several of their order, fatally poisoned by a dodgy dish of vichyssoise. As one survivor remarks "they've partaken of their last supper".

Want another nunnery in-joke?

Ask these wisecracking nuns how to make holy water and their answer's "boil the hell out of it".

A plot with such Christmas cracker wisecracks may sound like a lot of nonsense - it is, and the nuns make no sense of it at all. Put another way, Nunsense could not be more aptly named.

Reverend Mother, Sister Mary Regina, leads her motley crew in a quest to stage a variety show that would make any self-respecting musical theatre devotee cringe.

As the Mother Superior's alter ego, Val Isherwood, re-confirms that, in her, Rotorua's two theatres, the Musical (RMT) and Little Theatres, have equal shares in true talent. Isherwood as a stoned member of holy orders is a priceless piece of theatrical work.

With Susan Morrison as Sister Mary Amnesia, quality is assured. Fresh from playing lead on alternate nights in this year's RMT biggie Mamma Mia! in her latest role Morrison does highly entertaining lines in memory loss and ventriloquism.

Sister Mary Herbert, aka Susan Wenborn, Sister Robert Anne played by Kerrin Shedden and novice, Sister Mary Leo, assigned to Rose Haumate, complete the convent's covey of all-singing, all-dancing nuns.

Having the orchestra under Ursula Schraa's experienced baton in view thanks to a piece of clever set building is an inspired move.

Under Richard Marshall's directorship Nunsense is an anniversary treat in keeping with the theatre's long tradition of staging quality productions.

Details
What: Nunsense
Where: Casa Blanca Theatre
When: Tomorrow until July 11
Cost: $32 adults, $27 students/seniors
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.co.nz or Rotorua Convention Centre