Actors get sick on a cruise ship before the show. It’s time to say a Hail Mary.
Maggie’s Little Theater presents Meshuggah-Nuns: The Ecumenical Nunsense five times in Middle Village from Sunday, March 23, to Sunday, April 6.
In this high energy, laugh-out-loud musical comedy, a group of nuns must save the day for a debilitated cast because the show must go on! Plus, an unexpected friendship forms.
Ticket prices are $25, but seniors and children can attend for $22. Reserve them online or via phone at 347.286.8508. Seating is reserved, and showtimes are March 23 at 3:30 pm, March 29 at 8 pm, March 30 at 3:30 pm, April 5 at 8 pm, and April 6 at 3:30 pm.
The story begins with Little Sisters of Hoboken members embarking on the Faiths of All Nations cruise. The all-expenses-paid trip takes an unfortunate turn when the “Fiddler on the Roof” cast gets seasick — except for the guy who plays Tevye. The ship’s captain asks the Catholic nuns to perform in their stead, and they agree!
Hilarity ensues, of course, as they wear their habits and carry out such songs as “Say It in Yiddish,” “In the Convent,” and “If I Were a Catholic.” And wait until you see Sister Amnesia’s magic tricks during the “Fiddlerspiel” sing-along.
Meshuggah-Nuns will unfold on a special stage at St. Margaret Parish Hall at 66-05 79th Pl. The producer, Maggie’s Little Theater, was established in 2007 to offer lesser known works there twice a year. It has since won eight Josie Awards from The Josephine Foundation.
Dan Goggin, who considered the priesthood during his youth, wrote Meshuggah-Nuns. The Michigan native is also a performing tenor who wrote and appeared in the off-Broadway musical “Hark!” In the 1980s, he developed a cabaret show called “The Nunsense Story,” which led to his Nunsense brand, which includes various plays and television shows.
Monica Maddock directs this version of Meshuggah-Nuns, which is presented via an arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark. Ray Naccari is in charge of the music, while Virginia Lawler Harmon handles the choreography, and Claire Spinetti is the stage manager. Dolores Voyer, Joe Annese, and Miriam Denu are the producers with Denu also working as the costumer and house manager. Ed Voyer is responsible for set design and construction.
Here’s the cast: Alie Campbell as Sister Mary Amnesia; Alan Perkins at Howard; Ben Kaminski as Cruise Director Brayden; Brooke Lynn McGowan as Sister Mary Hubert; Kim Guarino as Reverend Mother; Kristin Robles as Sister Robert Anne; Nydia Blackshear as Ensemble/Sister; Paul Mastrella as Purser Max; and Regina Lim Fischdick as Ensemble/Sister.