Encore Theatre Satirizes Catholicism in 'Nunsense'

The zany nuns from Dan Goggin's 1980s off-Broadway comedy Nunsense are back in the habit to prove they’re “Holier Than Thou,” turning up the spotlight on unrepentant fun at the in Dexter.

Led by director Barbara Cullen and music director George Cullinan, the five-woman cast of Nunsense tells the story of the Little Sisters of Hoboken, who discover that their cook has accidentally poisoned 52 of their fellow sisters, and the convent is in dire need of funds for the burials.

The sisters decide that the best way to raise the money is to put on a variety show, so they take over the school auditorium.

The Encore's cast includes Barbara Scanlon, Sue Booth, Madison Deadman, Mary Rumman, and Amy Smidebush.

Scanlon, who plays Rev. Mother Regina, a former circus performer, said she's delighted to be back on the Encore's stage. Scanlon was last seen in the theater's 2011 production of .

"(Performing in Nunsense) has been a lot of fun," she said. "Truly great craziness goes on."

In one particular scene, the Reverend Mother confiscates a bottle of drugs from a student's locker and is unwittingly exposed to the fumes.

"I had to get high; that's a first for me," Scanlon laughed. "I had to do my research."

For those who are unfamiliar with the musical, the show originated in 1985 as a line of greeting cards. Goggin expanded the concept into a cabaret that ran for 38 weeks, and eventually into a full-length musical. The original off-Broadway production opened December 12, 1985, running for 3,672 performances and became the second longest-running Off-Broadway show in history.

For the past eight weeks, Scanlon said the show's all-female cast has been hard at work learning just what it means to don the trademark black and white religious habit (a set of garments worn by members of a religious order).

"It takes some time getting used to," she said. "The veil blocks some of your peripheral vision and hearing."

To compensate, the cast has relied heavily on the choreography and direction of Cullen, who herself has performed in several versions of the comedy.

"Except for Nunsense, you don't get many opportunities to do a show that's just women. It's an interesting chemistry. We have a lot of fun with each other," Scanlon said. "We went out to a farm and took a bunch of pictures of the cast in costume riding horses. That was our best bonding moment."

Cullen said audience reaction from a show that many consider overly religious, has been positive since it opened on May 17.

"When you grow up in a religion like Catholicism, you eventually come to realize that nuns are just like us. And that really brings out the comedy, when you see them in that different light," she said.

Last week the show suffered a minor setback, when one of the cast member's father died unexpectedly. Thalia Schramm, the theater's assistant artistic director, has been filling in temporarily as Sister Mary Hubert.

Nunsense runs through June 10. Tickets for all performances are on sale now, and may be purchased by calling the box office at 734-268-6200, or online at www.theencoretheatre.org.