Way Off Broadway Presents NUNSENSE A-MEN 6/25-8/29

One of the most successful and popular theatrical franchises is Dan Goggin's Nunsense series. In all, there are nine different stage productions that revolve around the Little Sisters of Hoboken. This summer, the hilariously funny, gender-bending installment of the collection, Nunsense A-Men!, is set to entertainment audiences at The Way off Broadway Dinner Theatre. The production opens June 25th and runs through August 29th.

The musical nuns have become sensations around the world and at Way Off Broadway. Nunsense and Nunsense 2: The Second Coming were huge hits at WOB when they were parts of the theatre's 2005 and 2007 Seasons respectively. After a short hiatus, it's time for the Little Sisters of Hoboken to return. However, this time, there's a twist. A big one! The nuns are all played by men! That's right. Male performers don the nuns' habits and bring you the original storyline in this hilarious 'rethought' version. Nunsense A-Men! can best be described as "Mrs. Doubtfire enters the Convent."

First performed in Brazil as Novicas Rebeldes, this version of Nunsense premiered in New York in 1998. Receiving rave reviews and standing ovations, subsequent productions have boasted such stars as Laugh-In's Arte Johnson as Mother Superior and Olympic Champion, Greg Louganis as Sister Robert Anne. A whole new layer of comedy surfaces with lines like "The guys in the old neighborhood still can't believe I became a nun!"

The return of the nuns to Way Off Broadway coincides with the 25th Anniversary of the original Nunsense production (which Nunsense A-Men!'s story line follows) in which the Little Sisters of Hoboken discover that their cook, Sister Julia, Child of God, has accidentally poisoned 52 of the sisters, and they are in dire need of funds for the burials. The sisters decide that the best way to raise the money is to put on a variety show, so they take over the school auditorium, which is currently set up for the eighth grade production of Grease. Here the audience meets Reverend Mother Regina, a former circus performer; Sister Mary Hubert, the Mistress of Novices; a streetwise nun from Brooklyn named Sister Robert Anne; Sister Mary Leo, a novice who is a wannabe ballerina; and the delightfully wacky Sister Mary Amnesia, the nun who lost her memory when a crucifix fell on her head. Featuring star turns, tap and ballet dancing, an audience quiz, and comic surprises, this show has become an international phenomenon with more than 5,000 productions having been produced worldwide in 21 different languages.

Donning the habits this time around for Way Off Broadway are Zane L. Oberholzer, Jr. playing the role of Reverend Mother, Jonny Kigin as Sister Hubert, Jeremy Trammelle as Sister Robert Anne, Shawn Nakia as Sister Amnesia, and A.J. Dorsey as Sister Leo. Nunsense A-Men! has a book, music, and lyrics by Dan Goggin and is being directed and choreographed for Way Off Broadway by Jordan Stocksdale, with musical direction by Eric Seebach.

Nunsense A-Men! runs from June 25 - August 29, 2010, with performances every Friday and Saturday evening, Sunday matinees on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sunday of each month, and select Sunday evenings. Tickets for dinner and show on a Friday are $43, $45 for a Saturday, and $41 for Sundays. An Opening Night Preview Price of $35 is being offered for the opening night performance on June 25th. There will also be special Sunday Twilight Show Only Performances on June 27th, July 25th, and August 22nd, with tickets only $25 per person for these shows. Ticket may be purchased by calling the Box Office at (301) 662-6600.

For additional information on Nunsense A-Men!, or any of Way Off Broadway's shows, including its current Children's Theatre production of Aladdin, visit the theatre's website at www.wayoffbroadway.com.

The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre has been a leader in the region's performing arts community since it first opened in 1995. Under the direction of the Kiska Family since 2002, WOB has produced such productions as A Funny Thing . . . Forum, Guys & Dolls, Steel Magnolias, Oklahoma!, Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, The Odd Couple, A Chorus Line, The Sound of Music, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Evita, Cats, The Full Monty, as well as the area premieres of Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl - The Musical, Jerry Herman's La Cage aux Folles, The Wedding Singer, and Mel Brooks' The Producers. For 2010, following Nunsense A-Men!, Way Off Broadway is proud to bring the area premiere of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and the theatre's original Christmas Follies: The North Pole Revue to the stage.

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