Photo by Jenn Udoni
Milwaukee Rep 'Nuncrackers'
Meka King, Katie Kallaus, Seth K. Hale, Ashley Oviedo and Isabel Quintero in Milwaukee Rep's ‘Nuncrackers’
“Christmas time is nunsense time.” So goes the opening number to the delightfully wacky, ferociously funny and high-energy celebration called Nuncrackers at the Rep’s Stackner Cabaret.
For those looking to celebrate the holiday season with plenty of laughs and shenanigans involving four nuns—and one priest—putting on a cable TV Christmas show, Nuncrackers will definitely get you into the Christmas spirit (or spirts in the case of that priest!) The “nun puns” are fast and furious, making the entire show a “nunderful” time (I know, I know) ...
Milwaukee Rep vet Kelley Faulkner has hit the mark with a bull’s-eye, turning Dan Goggins's book, music and lyrics into a spot-on parody of a Catholic order, The Little Sisters of Hoboken (New Jersey)—plus Father Virgil—set in the basement of the Mt. St. Helen school basement turned TV studio.
Everything that can go wrong, does. And that makes the zany antics all the more delightful for the audience: power outages, stolen presents, mixed-up Christmas songs (“Here We Come-a Waffle-ing”) last minute replacements for the Sugar Plum Fairy. You get the idea. But it’s so much funnier to see onstage, given this highly talented cast.
They can sing, they can dance, they can act and they know their Catholic traditions, including those nun clickers. And they know how to “sell”: there’s a very funny bit with the Catholic Home Shopping Services offering intimate items from “St. Victoria’s Secret” to “Confession” cologne made by, what else? Nun Scents. (“Absolution” is a combination bath/mouthwash option).
But this ensemble really understands comic timing as we watch in Seth K. Hale’s very funny and clever take on Julia Child making fruitcake, “the gift that lasts a lifetime.”
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His is a brilliant comedic performance, from the high pitchedvoice to downing more run than the cake, (made with plastic fruit). The four nuns are just as excellent: Katie Kallaus (Sister Mary Paul), Meka King (Sister Mary Hubert), Ashley Oviedo (Sister Robert Anne) and Isabel Quintero (Sister Mary Regina).
And to gain more recruits to the convent, the fivesome does a zany take on the Village People and their “In the Navy” tune “In the Convent” Has them dressing as the VP characters complete the classic ‘70s dance moves. If that doesn’t bring ‘emin, maybe a visit from Santa will help. But he’s already bent over with laughter at this point.
For a merrier Christmas filled with nonstop ho-ho-ho’s, there’s “nun” better than Nuncrackers. Bar “nun.”
Nuncrackers runs through January 7, 2024 at the StacknerCabaret, 108 E. Wells St. Running time: two hours with one 20-minute intermission. For more information call the Rep Ticket Office at: 414-224-9490 or visit milwaukeerep.com.
