At the Hoboken convent the sisters are doing it for themselves! The off Broadway smash hit, Nunsense A-Men comes to the Landor Theatre with the holy clatter of a tambourine and routines that’d put any synchronised papal genuflections to shame.
Personally, as someone who was taught by nuns in infants school, I’ve always had a slight aversion to the holy sisters, as they struck utter fear into me from an early age – you know, a bit like how some people are with clowns. Thankfully, these all-singing, all-dancing ‘nuns’ seem like the type you could quite easily get sloshed with on the altar wine, post-confessional, and then strike up a rousing chorus of ‘Like a Virgin’ around Father Robert’s protruding organ.
The show finds the holy sisters in a slight predicament, as the convent’s cook Sister Julia has accidentally poisoned almost all the nuns. With four nuns still in the deep freeze and not a penny between them to give them a send-off, the only thing to do is to put on a show to raise funds. The Reverend Mother, played by Sister Mary McArthur, is a constant driving force, keeping all the mischievous sisters in check. McArthur delivers a polished and professional performance throughout.
Her rabble have strong individual and ensemble strengths. Sister Leo, played by David Kristopher, offers the biggest laugh of the night, for me, with the ‘Dying Nun’ routine. Very slapstick and expertly timed. I was also drawn to the schmaltzy, expressive performance style of Sister Roberts, played by Alastair Knights. He played the role of the needy nun with great dynamism. Sister Hubert, played by Paul Branagan, has a sweet, wide-eyed, naivety, which reminded me very much of Father Dougal McGuire (from Father Ted). And you simply cannot have a collection of nuns without an Irish one.
There’s a lot more laughs, and engagement, from all of the cast in act two. That’s not to say that the first act isn’t captivating, but my attention span was momentarily lost due to a lack of narrative, but this was retrieved during the musical numbers, which were delivered with zeal. This original show, directed by Robert McWhir, is witty, well executed and most of all feel good.
• The Landor Theatre, 70 Landor Road, SW9 9PH. Running until Sunday 28th July. £18. Booking: www.landortheatre.co.uk / 020 7737 7276
