written by MaryPat Donovan and Marc Silvia
directed by Marc Silvia
Laguna Playhouse
through April 8
Funnylady MaryPat Donovan has been playing Sister for almost 20 years in her Late Nite Catechism, and it has spawned five sequels. The latest entitled Sister's Easter Catechism is full of silly, gossipy, laugh-out-loud anecdotes, mixing in popular secular issues with religion via totally clean humor... all of which will obviously mean more to you if you were brought up a catholic and understand the implications. All those rules and regulations were enough to turn a person off ... and its insistence on total commitment/abstinence... oy! Is Christmas or Easter the most important holiday?, queries Sister. Christmas is surely more alluring with Santa and all the presents; Easter - despite the bunny and copious candy - offers suffering, death and resurrection, making it less appealing but more symbolic of what Catholicism is all about. Christ's death and eventual Resurrection explain the reason for His renowned birth. It doesn't have to make total sense; nothing in Catholicism is necessarily logical. Now onstage at the Laguna Playhouse, MaryPat Donovan is once more a thoroughly engaging nun, who not only entertains but makes us think about our purpose in life.
And that, for believers, may very well be God's plan. Nonbelievers put God to one side and follow their own. For them catholic involvement is an all too confusing and bitter pill to swallow. Just don't take it too seriously! Take, for example, those who believed that eating meat on Fridays would send you straight to the fires of Hell. They had to rethink the whole thing when the Vatican softened the rule to abstaining from meat on only Fridays during Lent. What about all those souls who went to Hell before the rule was changed? Are they doomed to eternal damnation or were they justifiably released? We'll never know, for sure. And does it really matter? For those who know nothing of this predicament, through Sister's educational class, you'll be informed. If you couldn't care less, that's your loss. It's like staying away from The Diary of Anne Frank or Schindler's List, because you're not Jewish. There is something to be gained from everything especially when the instructor is as delightful and friendly as Donovan. Her improv skills are the best; she is forever spontaneous and keeps the action moving with as much audience participation as possible - and that means beaucoup laughs. Act I explains Easter; Act II has a general Q and Q followed by a Test, which of course is just a further excuse to bring more audience onstage for fun and games like What's My Line? -the celebrity version, Let's Make a Deal and Name That Sin - Venial or Mortal. Prizes range from scratch cards to boxes of peeps to rosaries that glow in the dark to...you said it... a fully stocked Easter basket. (see photo)
My most favorite part of Sister's Easter Catechism is at the onset when Sister talks about Chuckles the hamster, his death and how pets are not supposed to have souls, therefore are not expected to go to Heaven. Due to the generosity of Donovan, all pet lovers should be happy with Sister's benevolent attitude/decision. So goes the evolving process of the catholic religion and how we make it work for us, as we face our personal relationship with God.
My favorite of these shows remains CSI Bethlehem or Sister's Christmas Catechism, but I still had a good time at this Easter sequel, and that is due to ...the magnetic charisma and endearing comedic skill of MaryPat Donovan, everyone's favorite fun nun. Let's give a big nod to Marc Silvia too, who co-wrote and directed the show!
