The Nuns in Nunsense are (front) Pat Ingalls (Sister Hubert), Judi Alonzo (Reverend Mother), Patrice Cole (Sister Amnesia); (back) Alice Lewis (Sister Leo), Kathy Mitchell (Sister Robert Anne).
Carrie Mataraza
Little did Dan Goggin know when he started his greeting card company featuring nuns making people laugh out loud with their biting comments that his venture would be so popular it would evolve into a hit musical comedy that would become the second longest-running off-Broadway show in history. The historic production played for 3,672 performances and has had six sequels and three spin-offs since its 1985 debut.
And little did Judi Alonzo know when she first won the role of the Reverend Mother of the Little Sisters of Hoboken in 1992 that she would appear in that role three more times.
It has long been Judi’s goal to present Nunsense to PebbleCreek audiences and this November she will have achieved her wish. Not only is she appearing as Reverend Mother again, she is also the director of this production and she says, “It is quite a challenge to both direct and perform in it.”
Nunsense features five nuns, each with her own personality and backstory. Meet—Sister Mary Hubert (Pat Ingalls) who serves as Mistress of the Novices; she trains new recruits with a gentle but firm hand. Sister Hubert is described as “a little off the wall,” attributed to having been trampled by a berserk camel during the annual Nativity pageant.
Sister Mary Robert Anne (Kathy Mitchell) came to the vocation after dropping out of Verna’s Cashier School. She is most popular with the New Jersey kids because she speaks their street language, some of which is unprintable here.
Sister Mary Amnesia (Patrice Cole) is a truly lost soul because she arrived at the convent without a clue as to her identify, although she does remember that once a crucifix fell on her head.
Sister Mary Leo (Alice Lewis) joined the convent straight off an Illinois farm. A novice, her goal is to dedicate her life to God via dance. She took her name to honor her Uncle Leo, a notorious Chicago gangster, thinking that thereafter the Lord would go easy on him.
Sister Mary Regina, the Reverend Mother, (Judi Alonzo) is originally from Ireland. She headed a pioneering group of nuns who established a leper colony in the Mediterranean before she came to Hoboken to preside as General of the Order.
The ensemble cast is having a wonderful time learning their parts. Over the summer they have grown as close as their characters are. They invite you to see why they are all so taken with Nunsense, its comedy and the songs and dance. The show is scheduled for November 14 through 19, the first production in our newly remodeled Renaissance Theatre (should the Lord allow the construction to be completed).
First day of ticket sales is October 15; location and time to be announced as we near the theater construction completion date. Watch for details in next month’s PebbleCreek Post and on the eGroup. Eagle’s Nest Kiosk sales will start October 17, Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. until sold out.