hard habits to break: nuncrackers, at the circa ’21 dinner p
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Marc Ciemiewicz, Kristen Jeter, CourtneyWashington, Jillian Prefach, and Nancy Evans in
Nuncrackers
Nancy Evans and Marc Ciemiewicz inNuncrackers
Hard Habits to Break: "Nuncrackers," at the Circa ʼ21Dinner Playhouse through December 30
Theatre - Reviews ShareThisWRITTEN BY THOM WHITE MONDAY, 14 NOVEMBER 2011 06:01
Of all of the installments in theNunsense series, which includes sixsequels and three spinoffs, theChristmas musical Nuncrackers –currently running at the Circa ʼ21Dinner Playhouse – seems to me themost palatable. For one thing, it hasthe added benefit of its Christmastheme; thereʼs just something aboutthe holidays that puts you (or at leastme) in a cheery mood, which, in turn,makes it easier to forgive the showʼsshortcomings. And when you add themerry goofiness of the Little Sistersof Hoboken, itʼs hard not to be ingood spirits throughout the show.
This, the fourth Nunsense piece by Dan Goggin (who wrote the songs, lyrics, and book),finds the nuns, Father Virgil, and the Mt. Saint Helenʼs schoolʼs four most talented girlsstaging a cable-access TV show for Christmas. The sequel includes the usual Nunsensehumor – filled with double entendres and clichéd jokes – plus familiar carols and a wild,nuns-in-tutus version of Tchaikovskyʼs Nutcracker ballet.
The musicalʼs most obvious weakness lies in its obvious jokes, and it doesnʼt help thatdirector Jim Hesselman has his actors overselling their punchlines, in an effort to makesure the audience doesnʼt miss the intended humor. For instance, Sister Amnesiamistakenly introduces the ballet by exclaiming the phrase “BALL-BUSTERS!”, and has tobe told itʼs “NUT-CRACKERS!” Ugh. Is there anyone in the audience who wouldʼve missedthat one if it were vocalized at a normal level? (Jokes are funnier when you simply getthem than when theyʼre slapped in your face.) Still, thereʼs something about the bright,exuberant tone of Hesselmanʼs work, and the castʼs portrayals, that makes the lack ofsubtlety hardly matter.
Jillian Prefach has the good fortuneof playing the happiest, mostunassuming nun of them all: SisterAmnesia. This air-headed, Southern-twanged sister shines brightestduring a “Secret Santa” segment inwhich Prefach delivers Catholic-themed gifts to a handful of audiencemembers. While the 10Commandments sticker set and thetwo-inch golden ruler are relativelyamusing themselves, itʼs Prefachʼspartially ad-libbed conversations withthe Circa ʼ21 patrons that makeseach gift worthy of a hearty laugh.
Thereʼs a similar magic created by Marc Ciemiewicz as Father Virgil, substituting (in drag)for “Sister Julia, Child of God” in the showʼs cooking segment. Ciemiewicz, who I thinkcould make a reading of the phone book charmingly chuckle-worthy, takes Gogginʼs overly
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Courtney Washington, Jillian Prefach,and Kristen Jeter in Nuncrackers
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predictable choice to have the priest drink the rum heʼs adding to the fruitcake recipe andturns it into comedy gold. Channeling Nathan Lane, Ciemiewicz is just so sweet, sofriendly, and so over-the-top funny, that the jokeʼs lack of originality is lost in the laughterhe elicits.
As Reverend Mother, Nancy Evans nails thecharacterʼs controlling but jovial nature whilereprimanding her nuns for their rebellious ways.Her attempt to replace the injured – and, exceptfor her foot, never seen – Sister Mary Leo as theSugar Plum Fairy is a hilarious balancing act ofself-confidence and (intentional) lack of ballettalent. (Ciemiewicz, similarly dressed as theSugar Plum Fairy, also shines in this scene withhis impressive en pointe dancing.) While KristenJeterʼs moxie as the Brooklyn-born Sister RobertAnne is unmissable, itʼs her heartwarmingperformance of the song “All I Want forChristmas” thatʼs unforgettable. And CourtneyWashingtonʼs dignified and driven Sister Hubertbrings down the house on the gospel-infusedshow-stopper “Itʼs Better to Give,” Gogginʼs mostrousing number in the musical.
Whether thanks to Goggin or Hesselman, there are also some clever updates added here.Thereʼs a reference to Beyoncéʼs “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” in one of the numbers(which could not have been in the original show, as it was written several years before thatsong was released), and Hesselman – who also choreographed this production – smartlyincorporates a few iconic steps from Beyoncéʼs music video, punching up the popreference. While my guess is that the older audience members missed this and themention of the girl group the Pussycat Dolls, theyʼre welcome inclusions for those of uswho caught them. The updates are also much-needed additions to a series thatʼs aging,although Nuncrackers seems to be weathering the years better than other Nunsenseshows.
For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
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Hard Habits to Break: "Nuncrackers," at the Circa ’21 Dinner P... http://www.rcreader.com/theatre/hard-habits-to-break-nuncrackers/
2 of 3 11/15/11 3:32 PM
Circa 21 Dinner Playhouse Courtney Washington Dan Goggin Jillian Prefach Jim Hesselman
Kristen Jeter Marc Ciemiewicz Nancy Evans Nuncrackers Nunsense
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Hard Habits to Break: "Nuncrackers," at the Circa ’21 Dinner P... http://www.rcreader.com/theatre/hard-habits-to-break-nuncrackers/
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