“Habit”-ually Hilarious

Reviewed by Marilu Murphy

The humour begins as soon as the stage lights up and continues until the curtain drops. Nunsense is being performed at the Victoria Playhouse in Petrolia at 2:00 p.m. every day from July 8th until the 25th. On July 25th, there is an evening performance at 7:30pm.

Nunsense is a musical comedy about five nuns who are trying to raise money to bury the last four out of fifty-two of their sisters who died from eating botulism-tainted vichyssoise at the Mount St. Helen’s Convent. Those poor dead sisters are being stored in the convent freezer while the remaining five try to raise enough money to properly bury them. The hilariously wacky nuns keep the audience giggling and roaring with laughter while they dance across the stage, perform with potty mouthed puppets, and tell eyebrow-raising jokes. Mother Superior has a bit of a time keeping a firm hand on the silly young nuns in her convent while also guarding her own exuberance and extroverted nature.

Nunsense is fun-filled. The five nuns sing together with rich vocal harmonizing. Solos are lovely and clean, reaching the high and low notes with ease. Dancing is pleasant to watch as they float across the stage.

Sister Mary Regina (Mother Superior), played by Valerie Boyle, is absolutely a hoot. I love the way she giggles, her facial expressions are priceless, and her voice booming. She truly is an accomplished professional. I hope to see her again in other plays.

Sister Mary Hubert (Michelle E White) is Mother Superior’s side-kick who would love to fill her shoes one day. Her Black Gospel performance is energetic and if you close your eyes, you can picture yourself joining her in a Southern Church.

Sister Mary Amnesia (Marcia Tratt) is the quiet one who got her name because she has amnesia. She captures the audience’s interest because she is  subdued but bursts out with a crazy phrase or joke. Little did I know that she was the special one. I’ll not spoil the surprise.

Sister Mary Leo (Hadley Mustakas) is the cute young nun. Her biggest desire is to be the first nun ballerina. She slips into her ballerina slippers and glides across the stage. She sings effortlessly with a toy penguin that magically comes to life to dance with her for a minute or two.

Sister Mary Robert Anne (Barbara Mantini) is quick to remind everyone that she is from Brooklyn, with an accent to prove it. Sister Mary Robert Anne is also the nun that involves the audience by bringing us onto the stage theoretically. She gives a fine flying nun impression that Mother Superior isn’t impressed with. Her vocals are superior, her range is magnificent, each note is perfect.

The five actors are phenomenal and very professional. I was immersed!

The quality of the sound is excellent throughout the entirety of the play. The band consists of a percussionist, keyboards and a bass. The stage set stays the same from the beginning to the end. The habits don’t change but props such as hats and head adornment are added as accessories in some of the scenes.

On the opening afternoon, we had a severe storm at the playhouse. The staff were there and ready with the generator. The phrase, “The Show Must Go On” comes to mind. They made the audience aware of what they were doing and told us in a way that wouldn’t cause anyone to stress or feel anxiety because of the looming weather.

Nunsense offers a fun afternoon with lots of belly laughs, giggles and snickers from the beginning to the end.

Nunsense continues at the Victoria Playhouse, Petrolia until July 25. For tickets, buy on line at https://thevpp.ca/nunsensethemusical/ or call the box office at 1-800-717-7694 or (519) 882-1221.

Photo: Left to Right: Marcia Tratt as Sister Mary Amnesia, Barbara Mantini as Sister Mary Robert Anne, Valerie Boyle as Mother Superior, Hadley Mustakas as Sister Mary Leo and Michelle E. White as Sister Mary Hubert. Photo by Diane O’Dell.

Nunsense – A Musical Affair
Book, Music and Lyrics by Dan Goggin
Director: David Rogers
Choreographer: David Hogan
Performed by Valerie Boyle, Barbara Mantini, Marcia Tratt, Michelle E. White and Hadley Mustakas
Music Director/Piano: Sandra Mogense, Bass: Sam Fitzpatrick, Percussion: Dave Robilliard
Victoria Playhouse, Petrolia
July 8 to 25, 2025
Reviewed by Marilu Murphy