Review: THE DIVINE SISTER Offers Nun Control at Celebration Theatre

If you are looking for something to do to celebrate Pride or the 4th of July, don't pass up the latest production by Celebration Theatre. THE DIVINE SISTER written by Charles Busch offers audiences a satire of every single "nun" movie they can think of - DOUBT, AGNES OF GOD, BLACK NARCISSUS, THE SONG OF BERNADETTE, THE TROUBLE WITH ANGELS, and LILIES OF THE FIELD. You can add to it gratuitous nods to HIS GIRL FRIDAY and SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER just for kicks! This is prime Busch featuring a never ending homage to revered b-films all filtered through a John Waters lens much like his biggest most well known hit VAMPIRE LESBIANS OF SODOM. Right now the world needs a good chuckle at the pious and prissy, and this production answers that divine calling with ease. If you're a devout Catholic or easily offended, maybe this one isn't for you. But if you can appreciate gender bending joined with slapstick camp you've found your salvation. If you always wished you could solve a problem like Maria by making her a man then here's your new favorite play.

Never mind the fractured plot which involves a failing nunnery with a miraculous novice who can heal and hears voices. There's a DAVINCI CODE inspired mystery about the sister of Jesus, and a mysterious German nun who is after that secret. Also in the mix is a film producer seeking the rights to produce a feature about the aforementioned novice who can heal, and the hopes and dreams of a wrestling coach nun who yearns for a chance to bring monastic girls to a championship. Somewhere in there is also a scheme from the Mother Superior to convince an Atheist Jewish widow to donate her home and fortune to save the order. Oh did I mention the unlikely romance of the film producer who knew the Mother Superior back when she was an ambitious female newsbeat reporter? It's utter nonsense meant to hang the film quotes and funny moments on for an hour and a half. And somehow miraculously the script joins all of this into a climax that merges every element into a satisfying cohesive conclusion.

Ron Jones directs THE DIVINE SISTER with his signature eye for perfect casting and supreme production values on a dime. The company is in residence at the Classical Theatre's permanent house on Montrose near the Museum District, and they make great use of the space and opportunity to send up religious fervor. Costumes, lighting, and sets are spot on with a wink and a nod to the original NYC staging. It's a charming night of theatre that delivers exactly what it sets out to do. You can't complain at how well this one is envisioned and executed.

Heading up the cast is Joel Sandel who makes a frumpy fabulous Mother Superior who states simply ""My dear, we are living in a time of great social change, and we must do everything in our power to stop it." He's stepping into a pious role without a hint of judgement or criticism in his portrayal. This old fashioned sister (who's really a mister) makes no apologies for not joining in the sexual liberation of the '60s setting. The head nun faces a Germanic threat in Sister Walburga played by Randall Jobe who looks as if Ernest Borgnine threw on lipstick and a black and white habit. He's an out of control lesbian in search of the secrets in the catacombs, and he's a hysterical ham with an appropriately exaggerated Berliner accent. Elizabeth Marshall Black is the Jersey proud Sister Acacius who is also a wrestling enthusiast, and Skylar Sinclair nails the part of the young novice who performs dubious miracles. Rounding out the stellar cast is Brad Goertz who does double duty as a mysteriously well endowed film producer and scary albino monk, as well as Michelle Britton who portrays a stylish Jewish matriarch as easily as she is an 8 year-old gay boy who can't quite grasp baseball. This cast is a strong ensemble, and they each carry their own comedic moments easily and with great reverence for the campy style of a Charles Busch production about nuns. They all turn in excellent work that elevated the evening to new highs and certifiably insane lows that will leave you giggling with glee.

THE DIVINE SISTER is a rare treat that arrives just in time for Pride, a gay comedy that slays the pious and questions what religion means to the sequestered and devout. In all honesty, it simply has great fun with the idea of nuns and how the movies have portrayed them in the last five or six decades. The best thing I can tell you is that you will smile, giggle, and outright guffaw throughout the ninety minutes this one runs. It's well directed, well cast, and the production values are handsomely executed. You're not going to see Charles Busch represented this well at any other Houston theatre anytime soon. This one deserves to be seen and revered like a holy Catholic treasure straight from the Vatican.

THE DIVINE SISTER only runs through July 3rd at the Classical Theatre Company located at 4617 Montrose Boulevard. Tickets can be reserved through the Celebration Theatre's website at http://celebrationtheatrehouston.com/

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