“Nunsense” Prepares for Second Weekend

Photo courtesy of Grande Parlour’s Facebook: Mason Unrau

The second weekend of “Nunsense” is happening at The Grande Parlour tonight after a blazing start in the opening performances.

“Friday night was great and then Saturday we blew everybody away. The actors and cast have been doing a fantastic job,” said director and producer Teresa Pettit.

“We were sitting up in the booth Saturday night and it just felt like one of those magical nights where everything just came together. The audience was super lively, very into what we were doing. An audience can really change how a show comes together, we always call them the additional character because they set the tone for the entire night, so I don’t think we could’ve asked for anything better. It was fantastic,” said Pettit.

Nunsense follows the antics of the five remaining nuns from the Little Sisters of Hoboken Convent who luckily avoid the cook’s tainted soup, which kills 52 of the sisters. Soon, the sisters find themselves strapped for cash, and still have four dead nuns to bury (whose bodies are being stored in the kitchen freezer). In order to raise the money before the health department discovers their secret, they decide to perform a variety show at a local school. The school is already doing a production of “Grease”, so to save money and time, the nuns use the classic set.

The colourful set is sure to catch the viewer’s eye with “Grease Lightning,” colourful jukeboxes, and pictures of John Travolta and Marilyn Monroe hanging on the wall overhead.

“They’re utilizing the set that’s already there because their 8th graders are doing the show Grease. So they utilize a lot of the set as it is. It’s a really fun component,” said Pettit.

Despite usually picking shows based on “how much they make her laugh,” Pettit chose Nunsense to make sure they weren’t short on castmembers.

“We wanted a smaller cast this time around knowing we were going into May that a lot of people are really busy this time of year, so we didn’t want to have 15-20 actors like we’ve had at previous shows. So looking at some musicals, Nunsense came to mind because I knew it just was the five ladies and we have some pretty phenomenal female vocalists that I really wanted to utilize and showcase.”

The performers are local, and not professionals as the proud director has to concede to viewers. However, those who are interested in being a part of future shows can keep their eyes peeled online.

“Whenever we have auditions I post it a few days before on Facebook, and we meet in here [Grande Parlour] and we do a pretty informal audition. For brand new people it’s always nice to hear their previous experiences and talents just so I’m aware…and it creates a nice dynamic for the show.”

Tickets are still available for the four remaining performances of Nunsense. They can be purchased at www.grandeparlour.ca. The doors open at 7pm.