Get Ready For ‘Nunsense!’

DAYTON - The Touchet Valley Arts Council will have crowds roaring with laughter in its newest musical theater comedy "Nunsense."

The show, about five nuns who must raise money to bury fellow nuns who accidentally died of food poisoning, sing and dance and crack jokes the whole way to prove that nuns really can be funny.

The show runs Friday, Jan. 27, through Sunday, Jan. 29, at the Liberty Theater. The show is not recommended for children under age 10.

Bev Startin directs the show, her first musical in her role, with her hand-picked actresses filling the black-and-white habits on stage. Elizabeth Arabelos Jagelski plays Sister Mary Regina, Sherri Huwe plays Sister Mary Hubert, Nancy LaBerge plays Sister Mary Robert Anne, Debbie Fortner plays Sister Mary Amnesia and Kris Takemura plays Sister Mary Leo.

Startin said the show comes to audiences now because the council board decided to try having more live productions.

The show was selected by Startin in a very unusual way.

She said she picked up a copy of the play at a yard sale and was "rolling on the floor laughing." It was easy for her to raise her hand and say she'd direct this one, she said.

For her cast, she chose five actresses she had worked with in different capacities in the past. Startin said the brilliance of the five actresses has actually helped her in her director role in that she didn't really have to do much directing.

"They've made it so easy for me because of their talent," Startin said. "The show is funny and it will make (the audience) laugh and have a good time."

In addition to the actresses, Startin said the production also has a stage manager, pianist, propster, costumer, light and sound man, advertising director and stage manager. The production team totals 11 people, she said.

Huwe said that the show is entertaining because of all of the singing and dancing - and she's been spending rehearsals and time at home since December to really study her lines and learn the music.

"I've had to buckle down and study hard," Huwe said.

But, now that the first performance is upon them, the dance moves become synchronized and the lines flow from memory.

"The magic starts happen- ing," Huwe said. "I'm having a great time with it."

Huwe said the best part of participating in the production has been working with the other actresses, she has known Arabelos-Jagelski since high school when they competed in the Junior Miss pageant together. Plus, she said having Startin as a director has been a joy because she knows what she's doing.

"Bev is really good to lead the ship," Huwe said.

Last Sunday, the women were running through the show in full costume and making sure they had their lines down. The group had missed one practice because of the recent snowstorm, Huwe said, and they were all trying to fine-tune the performance, especially the dances.

No matter who needed help with a line or if one of them missed a dance move, it was obvious on Sunday that the audiences will be in for a comical treat when the show opens. The actresses were superb at dishing out lines and the choreography was simple, but entertaining.

Huwe said the show really has a difficult flow because it's fast and wordy.

"If you miss a beat you can blunder," she said.

Takemura said locals won't want to miss this show because "you'll die of laughter and be saluting the first nun ballerina!"

Startin added an appropriate quote from the Bible.

"Proverbs tells us 'A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.' This show will give you a good dose of 'happy' medicine," Startin said.

The show runs at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Saturday, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $12 to $20. Tickets are available at the theater or online at www.libertytheater.org.