The Nun Sings But the Show Never Soars

At the conclusion of the new musical on stage at the Theater at St. Clement's Church, an animated film of flowers blooming is projected on the cyclorama.  It is supposed to represent a prayed-for miracle, however the lighting and the metallic confetti falling in front of it make the flowers appear out of focus and at times completely blurred.  It seems a fitting way to end a show that has great promise but is completely out of focus in its present state.

THE TRAGIC AND HORRIBLE LIFE OF THE SINGING NUN purports to tell the story of Jeanine Deckkers, the Belgian girl who became a nun and rose to fame as Soeur Sourire, better known as "The Singing Nun".  The story was told by Hollywood in a Debbie Reynolds movie that had virtually no grain of truth in it. The current treatment of this woman's story isn't much better.

As told though the eyes of the pop culture that made Soeur Sourire an overnight phenomenon in the 60's, this version of the tale introduces drag queen nuns, a stud muffin of a bisexual (and sexually active) priest named Father Lyon and a Mother Superior who would make Ethel Merman appear to be cloistered.  All of these elements overshadow the engaging story of a homely girl from an abusive parent who enters the convent and becomes Sister Luc Gabriel.  Her little ditty of a tune called "Dominique" was written for the All Saints Day festivities at her convent and when recorded on the Phillips label, became a worldwide hit.  In 1964 the recording won the Grammy Award, and Sister Luc Gabriel is the first and only nun to do so.

Upon leaving the convent in 1966, Jeanine became involved in a same sex relationship with her childhood friend Annie Parcher and attempted a singing career that was never successful.  There were financial woes galore, mostly because the Belgian government hit her with a massive tax bill for the profits on "Dominique" although all the proceeds of the recording went to the Convent of Fichermont.  Ultimately she and Annie committed suicide in their apartment in Wavre, Belgium.

All of this is pretty engrossing fare, but in the hands of Andy Moore (music and lyrics) and Blair Fell (book and additional lyrics), the story gets lost in the miasma of satirical gender bending and lewdness.  Certainly the Catholic Church is ripe for some choice satire, but should the strains of Gounod's "Ave Maria" be used to do so?  There is certainly a fine line between what is irreverent and what is bad taste and the creators of this show push the envelope too far for its own good.  St. Dominic himself makes several appearances and is portrayed as a flaming queen with monkey fur for a halo. Statues of Sts. Luke and Gabriel bear uncanny resemblances to Howdy Doody and join Jeanine as back-up singers in one song.  There are also tasteless references to Fatima and Lourdes, as well as an anachronistic comment about the Sing Sing Correctional Facility New York.  All of this might be extremely appropriate for "Saturday Night Live" but seems woefully wrong for the tale being told here.  

The story keeps rising to the surface, but once it becomes engrossing, the audience it hit with more jokes about false eyelashes and cigarette-smoking nuns.  Even the wounds of Christ are made joke of. None of this has anything to do with the actual tale of Soeur Sourire that is the spine of the show. The results are truly sophomoric. The still-running Altar Boyz parodies the Church effectively, but aims its barbs at Church rituals and shows respect for the tenets of Catholicism.  The same cannot be said for THE TRAGIC AND HORRIBLE LIFE OF THE SINGING NUN.

Michael Schiralli's direction is uninspired.  In one number called "Think!", the actors pace back and forth so often that one imagined they'd wear a trough in the stage floor by the time they were finished and in a duet for Jeannine and Annie called "Offer It Up To God", the actresses make the Sign of the Cross so many times they should be granted plenary indulgences at the end of each performance. Whose idea was it to keep Annie dressed in her scout's uniform throughout the proceedings?  The character ages 30 years in the course of the events and becomes a ludicrous sight in her uniform and beret as she gets older.

Other characters change costumes throughout the show, why not she?  Monroe's music is nice enough but it would be unfair to judge his lyrics because there were great problems with the sound system at the performance I attended. It was difficult to hear the lyrics clearly throughout much of the show, leading me to ponder why amplification was needed in a show playing in the tiny confines of St. Clements Church?  The natural voices seemed to carry well enough and it was a pleasure to hear them without electronic boosting.  Even the band sounded better without electronic enhancement.

The performers in THE SINGING NUN are all exceptional.  Laura Daniel creates a charming figure as Jeanine.  Her singing is marvelous and she captures the gentle sweetness of "Dominique".  Under the glasses and unbecoming habit, ones suspects that a very attractive actress can be found.  Annie is played with great effectiveness by Tracey Gilbert-despite the scout uniform.  Mother Helen Lawson is fully embodied by Kristine Zbornik; a lady who truly knows how to belt a tune up to the rafters.  Randy Blair is an actor of ample girth, yet he shows considerable grace when executing dance steps and is effective in each of the various roles he plays. Sister Mary Coco, the drag queen nun who narrates this tale, is played by Stephen Michael Rondel, who not only acts well but had ample opportunity to display how good he looks in high heels. And the cad named Father Lyon is played with enough oily charm by Michael Hunsaker to make him the priest you love to hate.

One would hope that we will see other productions of THE SINGING NUN in the future.  Perhaps the creators will take a long hard look at their story and reconsider how best to serve it. There's no doubt that sight gags and parodies bring big laughs to this version of the show, but are they right for it?  More than anything else, the production needs to be focused.  Jeanine Deckkers had a hard and pitiful life. Wouldn't it be appropriate for her to have her treated with taste and a bit more respect now that she's dead?

THE TRAGIC AND HORRIBLE LIFE OF THE SINGING NUN is part of the New York Theater Festival.  Tickets are $20 and may be purchased by calling 212-352-3101 or by visiting www.theatermania.com.  It runs through September 22nd.

Photos by Jim Levendos
1) Laura Daniel
2) Laura Daniel, Tracey Gilbert and Michael Hunsacker