Continuing its 20th anniversary season, the Winter Park Playhouse is bringing back a fan-favorite as its first musical for 2023: “Nunsense A-Men!”
This comedic musical is a spin-off of the original musical “Nunsense,” which opened Off-Broadway in 1985, with only one difference — all the characters are played by men.
The musical tells the story of five nuns, the Little Sisters of Hoboken, who stage a variety show to help raise funds to bury the remaining four nuns of their order who were accidentally poisoned by the cook.
The original production of “Nunsense” was an instant hit, running for more than 3,500 performances and becoming the second longest running Off-Broadway show in history. The show has been performed all over world in 21 different languages, and has spawned six sequels and three spin-offs to include “Nunsense A-Men!,” which premiered in New York in 1998.
While the plot may seem a little dark, actor David Michael Green, who plays Mother Superior, reassures audiences that it’s more than a bizarre musical about burying nuns, it’s about forming relationships.
“If you spend any time thinking about [the plot] it gets dark pretty quickly, but what I see building are the relationships between the sisters,” Green says. “It’s really about the relationships behind all of the zany, wacky, crazy stuff that’s happening on stage.”
Actor Bert Rodriguez, who plays Sister Mary Hubert, says that throughout the doses of “kooky and wacky” humor, audiences will grow an emotional attachment towards the nuns, creating the perfect balance of laughs and heart.
“It’s a little sneaky, the relationships and the humanity, the heart of each of these characters that comes through is unexpected,” Rodriguez says.
While relationships are building on stage and through the audience, relationships are also building behind the curtain. Green and Rodriguez are returning to the Playhouse alongside actor Dustin Cunningham, while actors Alexander LaPlante and Ryan J. Lynch will be making their debut performance on the Winter Park stage.
“Those that are coming into it for the first time are sort of looking for a little bit of guidance and help figuring out how they fit into it,” Rodriguez says. “While those who have done it are also being open to new energy and new ideas.”
This will be Green’s third time preforming in “Nunsense A-Men!” and says it’s nice to find different moments with different people because everyone brings something different to their character.
“I’ve gotten to watch people grow into their roles; I’ve watched each of these four people really blossom,” Green says.
Lisa Melillo, Winter Park Playhouse’s director of marketing and public relations, says that it’s very important to give the audiences the best possible production so they’ve hired brilliant actors because this show cannot work without the talent being exceptionally good.
“Comedy is really hard, people don’t think it is but it’s harder than drama,” Melillo says. “So, you take comedic effort from these five brilliant actors and pair it with music, as well as audience interaction, it’s just one of a kind and it can only happen when you have brilliant talent on stage.”
Alongside the talent each actor possesses, the actors have also found personal connections to their characters that help make the story feel so authentic.
Rodriguez says Sister Hubert is great because she’s everybody’s confidant, best friend and gets joy from helping everybody else achieve their dream.
“I see a lot of myself in Sister Hubert because I enjoy helping other people realize their fullest potential,” Rodriguez says. “I just love that idea because it’s very easy for me to access.”
While Green is not a parent, nor a mother, he says he especially relates to the “mother aspect” his character plays. He recalls the cast being like his family and feeling a responsibility for everything.
“It is my family, this is my chosen family, I love being the mother to this incredible chosen family,” Green says.
With a cast that feels more like a family, it’s easy to understand why Green and Rodriguez refer to the Winter Park Playhouse as their home.
“They really have a strong commitment to the community and to creating art and theater that just makes you happy,” Rodriguez says. “It really feels like coming home, it sounds like such a cliché but it’s not, I love my time here.”
While the musical features males dressed up as female nuns, Rodriguez says the heart of the story is still intact regardless of the switch up.
“The heart and the message remain the same, so as long as the actor is remaining true to the character, the text and the relationships that are discovered,” Rodriguez says.
Green says it hasn’t been a challenge playing an originally female-inspired role because he isn’t playing a woman who is playing a nun, he is simply just playing a nun.
“I’m not playing a man in drag, playing a woman, then playing a nun. I’m just playing Mother Superior,” Green says. “I think we are all doing that because that’s our job as an actor.”
The musical is directed and choreographed by Winter Park Playhouse director Roy Allen and will have available showings Jan 20-Feb 18. Tickets prices are $46 evening, $43 senior evenings, $39 matinee, $20 industry, $20 student and $20 active military. Tickets are available at WinterParkPlayhouse.org.
