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Meshuggah-Nuns!

The Little Sisters of Hoboken return in an interfaith shipboard musical comedy! The sisters sail on a "Faith of All Nations" cruise, and join forces with an onstage Tevye to create some Ecumenical Nunsense.

More information

Description

  • Full Length Musical
  • Comedy
  • 120 minutes

  • Time Period: Present Day
  • Target Audience: Appropriate for all audiences
  • Set Requirements: Unit Set/Multiple Settings
  • Orchestra Size: Small/Combo

  • Performance Group:
  • Church/Religious Groups, Dinner Theatre, Community Theatre, Professional Theatre, College Theatre / Student, Senior Theatre
The Kunkels (the poor family living behind Mount St. Helen’s School) have won the lottery and gifted the Sisters an all-expense-paid trip on the “Faiths of All Nations” Cruise. After a week at sea, the ship runs into a storm. Several people become ill, including all of the actors in the ship’s production of Fiddler on the Roof. (All except the actor playing Tevye, that is.) The captain of the ship, knowing of the Sisters’ show biz savvy, requests that the Sisters and Tevye put on a revue. The result: Meshuggah-Nuns! The Ecumenical Nunsense.
REVIEWS:

"A sweet-natured celebration of Catholic and Jewish traditions. It’s a crowd pleaser."

Christine Dolen, The Miami Herald

"Borscht Belt shtick meets Catholic schoolboy humor... Meshuggah-Nuns! delivers everything its title promises, including loads of puns."

Aileen Jacobson, The New York Times

"A thoroughly enjoyable evening...a vaudevillian-style review full of singing and dancing and all-around silliness."

The Jewish News of Northern California

"A Yiddish twist on the shenanigans that are a staple of the popular Nunsense plays...a combination of Jewish inflection and Catholic confession, a mix of musical madcap, sprinkled with saintly sight gags and ubiquitous jokes."

Elyse Kaner, American Jewish World

"Get ready to laugh...the jokes, the puns, the songs, and the vaudeville-like skits make for a zany but wholesome stage show...audiences will appreciate the variety of well-crafted songs, creative choreography, sing-along opportunity and upbeat music included on this evening of good-natured entertainment."

Bob Zyakowski, The Catholic Spirit

"This zany, madcap, silly, often uproarious, fast-paced show is funny and fun, bringing smiles to a summer night."

Joan Crespi, Princeton Info

"Who knew nuns were so funny?...Whether you’re Catholic, Jewish or neither, you’ll walk out a little lighter from a variety show you will not soon forget."

Malissa Martin, The Oakland Press


Premiere Production:

Meshuggah-Nuns! is the fifth show in Dan Goggin's series of Nunsense shows.

Characters

  • Casting: 1M, 4F, 1M or F
  • Casting Attributes: Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle)
  • Chorus Size: No Chorus

  • SISTER MARY REGINA (Reverend Mother) is the Mother Superior of the Little Sisters of Hoboken. She tries to be strict and maintain order, but things often get out of her control. She is a hefty woman, a real Sophie Tucker type, with a big belt voice and a personality to match. She grew up in an Irish circus family and was a tightrope walker. Her “show biz” background and sense of humor always shine through her attempt at having a tough exterior. In No. 11, “Das Boat,” she impersonates Belle Rosen from “The Poseidon Adventure.”

  • SISTER MARY HUBERT, the Mistress of Novices, wanted to be a nun all her life. She is the most grounded of the nuns and has a gospel/rock singing voice. Since she is second in command to the Reverend Mother and is constantly getting her out of scrapes, she and the Reverend have a healthy and humorous rivalry. In No. 11, “Das Boat,” she plays Captain Steubing from “The Love Boat” and the Giant Squid from “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.” She is also one of the “Three Shayna Maidels” in No. 16.

  • SISTER ROBERT ANNE is a streetwise nun from Brooklyn, New York. She is fearless and tough but has a heart and soul of gold. She has a good belt and head voice and feels that she has real theatrical potential. She is constantly frustrated by Reverend Mother’s refusal to let her star in the show. She is Reverend Mother’s nemesis but is loved by all. In No. 11, “Das Boat,” she impersonates Molly Brown who sailed on the Titanic. In No. 16, she is one of the “Three Shayna Maidels.” During the Magic Act, Sister Robert Anne is the voice of the irreverent puppet Sister Mary Annette – whose unscheduled appearances and especially colorful language always manage to upset Reverend Mother’s composure.

  • SISTER MARY PAUL (a.k.a. Amnesia) was hit on the head with a crucifix and for a long period didn’t remember who she was. Now everyone knows she is Sister Mary Paul, a country singer who jump-started her recording career by being the first nun to appear at the Grand Ole Opry. She is a daffy Goldie Hawn-type with a great country voice. In No.10, “Hava Nagila,” she appears briefly as Motel, the tailor from Fiddler on the Roof. In No. 11, “Das Boat,” she impersonates Mary Ann from “Gilligan’s Island.” She is also one of the “Three Shayna Maidels” in No. 16. In No. 18, “Come Up and See Me Sometime (Mae’s Moment),” she is the voice of the puppet Sister Mary Annette.

  • HOWARD LISZT (formerly Lishinsky) is a professional actor and singer who was to appear as Tevye in the ship’s production of Fiddler on the Roof. Very charming and charismatic, he has an ability to relate to the audience as a standup comic. Although he has been in show business for many years, he has had limited contact with real show business nuns. In. No. 11, “Das Boat,” he impersonates Manny Rosen from “The Poseidon Adventure.”

  • The Ship’s Purser:
    (offstage voiceover by an Assistant Stage Manager)

    • Available Material

    Name Price
    Perusal Material Shipped immediately. This is optional. Order Now

    1 x Lib-Vocal Book

    		$24.00
    Rehearsal Material Shipped a minimum of 3 months before the last performance. This must be hired as a condition of the License to produce this show.

    5 x Prompt Books for Dialogue Parts
    5 x Vocal Parts
    1 x Piano-Conductor's Score
    1 x Prompt Book
    1 x Original Cast CD
    1 x Original Cast DVD

    		$250.00 +$75.00/pm
    Orchestral Material Shipped a minimum of 1 month before the last performance. This is optional.

    1 Reed: Flute, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone & Washboard
    1 Violin (one player), doubling Tambourine
    1 Percussion:
    Bells
    Xylophone
    Chimes (D-flat, C, F, and E)
    Trap Set:
    Snare Drum
    Bass Drum
    Small Tom-Tom
    Floor Tom-Tom
    Cymbals (Hi-Hat, Ride, Splash, Crash)
    Tambourine
    Ship's Bell
    Triangle
    Slapstick

    1 Synthesizer (an upper keyboard for instrumental registrations and a lower keyboard for Bass)
    1 Piano

    Piano-Conductor's Score sent with rehearsal material.

    		$100.00 +$75.00/pm

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