To start, I had no idea what to expect, as I had decided to go see this show on a whim that very afternoon, but let me just say, nothing could have prepared me for the electricity of “Nunsense”. Put on by the fine people of the Sarofim School of Fine Arts’ Theater department, the opening night of “Nunsense” (written by Dan Goggin) occurred this past Friday, February 21st. 

Before the show even began, our tickets were taken by an usher dressed as a nun and we were led into the theater. As we found our seats, and caught up with friends, nuns introduced themselves and asked a very important question: would you spend the money you have acquired to do the right thing…or spend it on a flat screen TV? Unsurprisingly, most people around me picked the TV– we are college students, after all. The stage was decked out with black and white checkered floors and a large sign that said “GREASE” (not vaseline). As we would later learn, the set was originally made for the kids’ performance of “Grease” and was taken over by the nuns for the night. 

As the show began, the nuns came out singing and dancing all in their matching costumes. Throughout the show, the costumes and props were on point, and the attention to detail was top notch. While they might not get a lot of recognition, it is clear that the costume and props departments know what they’re doing. 

Here’s what the show is about, without too many spoilers: the convent’s cook accidentally poisoned all but a few members. The main nun in charge, Sister Mary Regina, better known as Reverend Mother (Olivia Hynes ‘27), spent money that was supposed to be used to bury the members of the convent on a very nice flat screen TV (hence the question asked before the show began). Sister Robert Anne (Aidan Boswell ‘26) the “understudy” for the show, attempts to make her mark on the show and the convent, and tries everything to get to sing her song. Sister Hubert (Rosa Roedner ‘28) is the voice of reason that every group needs. While Reverend Mother is technically the leader of the nuns, Sister Hubert really does all of the work and spends the show fighting for credit and recognition from Reverend Mother. Now, the nun that completely stole the show was the one and only Sister Amnesia (Elizabeth Wade ‘28). As you can guess from her name, Sister Amnesia has a bit of a memory problem, but let me tell you, she was arguably the funniest of the convent. From her songs to her dance moves to the audience participation, her humor made the show what it is. Those also deserving mention are Sister Leo (Isabella Fernadez ‘27) and Saint Urgency (Em Hoover ‘27). They swapped the role of the fifth on stage nun during intermission, so the audience got to see both of these amazing actresses at work.

With a puppet (Hand To God vibes), songs, dances, crowd participation, and even a “Wicked” reference, “Nunsense” was the perfect way to spend an evening, and I urge you all to go see it. On a more personal note, The Megaphones’ own Rick Oglesby was the only audience member with enough courage to follow the nuns on stage at the very end of the show– now that is a moment to remember. “Nunsense” is showing in the Jones theater February 28th – March 2nd. Follow @sufablife on Instagram to see behind the scenes!