Wacky nuns hit the road in "Nunsensations!" on South Baldwin Community Theatre stage

By Allison Marlow
Managing Editor
allisonm@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 9/16/22

GULF SHORES — Once upon a time, five nuns needed to raise money to bury several of their members who died of botulism in an unfortunate soup accident.What else were they to do but stage a …

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Wacky nuns hit the road in "Nunsensations!" on South Baldwin Community Theatre stage

Posted

GULF SHORES — Once upon a time, five nuns needed to raise money to bury several of their members who died of botulism in an unfortunate soup accident.

What else were they to do but stage a delightful musical variety production?

Now, the ladies in habits have taken their show on the road in "Nunsensations! The Nunsense Vegas Review."

You can catch the spectacle starting this weekend at South Baldwin Community Theatre, where the stage will glow as the Pump Room Lounge at the Mystique Motor Lounge, conveniently located on the third floor above the Las Vegas strip.

There, the ladies will sing. They will dance. They will perform vaudeville-like schticks and tell jokes. There's a puppet involved somehow. And of course, these lovely ladies will don showgirl attire and full feather-topped headdress – over their habits.

"It's lighthearted. It's joyful. It's wholesome and happy," said Brandi Wittman, director.

Wittman's directorial history at South Baldwin is a growing list of the most heart wrenching storylines including "The Bad Seed," "The Diary of Anne Frank" and "The Miracle Worker."

"Nunsensations!" is Wittman's first time directing a musical. It is also her first comedy. The experience, she said, has been pure joy.

"We need laughter. We need music right now. The world is heavy right now," Wittman said.

The show, sponsored by the City of Gulf Shores, opens South Baldwin Community Theatre's 2022 -23 season, which includes "Murder on the Orient Express" in October and "A Christmas Carol" in December. A female version of "The Odd Couple" hits the stage in January as do two Young Artist Series productions in the spring, "A Bag Full of Fables" and "Robin Hood."

Wittman is joined on stage in "Nunsensations!" by a cast of familiar characters.

Marsha J. Guyer serves as Mother Superior Mary Regina, helming the wacky group as they entertain through the evening. Guyer is a past president of the theater and recently shined as M'Lynn Eatenton in the theater's 2019 production of "Steel Magnolias."

Sharon Soldan Watson, who won best director in 2022 Best of Baldwin, usually works with the theater's youngest cast and crew as chairman of the Young Artist Series. In "Nunsensations," she serves as Sister Robert Anne.

Meagan Bratton, who also owns Cowbell Rolled Ice Cream in Gulf Shores, can often be found backstage. In this production, she will delight as Sister Mary Hubert in her first on-stage appearance.

Daphne High School theater teacher Jessica Jackson, who also performed in last year's production of "The Bad Seed," will play Sister Mary Paul.

Marley Page, on stage as Sister Mary Leo, is the cast's youngest member, rising through the theater's ranks since attending summer camps there as a child.

The production is rounded out by Gael Hatcher, as Sister Mary Shelley, Cade Wittman, as the announcer, and accompanist and musical director Greg Engall who audiences may recall as the enchanting solo accompaniment to Exit Stage Left's production of "Into the Woods" this past spring.

Learn more about auditions, shows and tickets at www.sbct.biz.