I've heard of flying nuns, but shaving?
That's the gender-bending hook of "Nunsense A-Men!," the all-male musical comedy inspired by playwright Dan Goggin's habit-forming creation. The original spawned five sequels and achieved worldwide acclaim. Goggin's "A-Men," in fact, was initially staged in Brazil as "Novicas Rebeldes." In 1998, it debuted in New York City. On Friday, it comes to Frederick.
Way Off Broadway first tackled Goggin's originals, "Nunsense" and "Nunsense 2: The Second Coming," during its 2005 and 2007 seasons, respectively. With the dawn of the series' 25th anniversary, the decision was made to revisit the order once again with a twist.
"Frederick audiences have always loved the nuns," said Way Off Broadway's managing director Justin Kiska. "And with this being the 25th anniversary of the original Nunsense' production, it [was] the perfect time for the sisters to come back."
The by now familiar story follows the remaining Sisters of Hoboken as they attempt to scrounge up funds to properly bury the last four of their peers, 52 of whom fell victim to a tainted vichyssoise prepared by the former Sister Julia, Child of God.
Director and choreographer Jordan Stocksdale is a self-avowed fan of the show, having fallen in love with the original in high school.
"'Nunsense" was always the movie one of the substitutes would play," he said.
This will be Stocksdale's first time in the director's chair at Way Off Broadway. Having previously provided musical direction for the theater's production of "Cats," the company vet was approached by Kiska for the job.
"It's interesting being on the other side of things," Stocksdale said of the opportunity. "I have newfound respect for Bill, Justin and Susan."
Coincidentally, Stocksdale had been eyeing the show for his own troupe, Stocking Productions, but leapt at the chance to stage the production with Way Off Broadway's resources.
With Stocksdale pulling the reigns, musical direction will be handled by Eric Seebach, putting spring in the steps of the Way Off Broadway cast.
"We actually precast this show," said Stocksdale of the roster. "It's a big group of friends."
The men of "Nunsense" share a prestigious legacy. Former "sisters" have included luminaries such as "Laugh In's" Arte Johnson and Olympic Champion Greg Louganis. Leading Frederick's service in the roles first made famous by gals are instead Zane L. Oberholzer, Jr. as Reverend Mother, Jonny Kigin as Sister Hubert, Jeremy Trammelle as Sister Robert Anne, Shawn Nakia as Sister Amnesia, and A.J. Dorsey as Sister Leo.
With such a tight-knit group of performers, jocularity even among nuns is commonplace.
"I don't think we've made it all the way through the show once," said Stocksdale of rehearsals, singling out one culprit in particular.
"That would be our Mother Superior, played by Zane Oberholzer," he said. "He's very serious about his craft, but at the same time he's the first one to throw in joke in and try to get our other nuns to crack up."
To his credit, Oberholzer confesses.
"I've been doing theater for a long time," he said. "So it's very easy for me to just roll along. If someone forgets their lines, I'll occasionally fill in with what I think might be said. But generally it's just joking around. I'm kind of a smart aleck in real life."
According to Oberholzer, his Mother Superior Regina returns from doing missionary work in France to discover the grizzly scene. With four bodies left in the freezer, she's charged with throwing together an impromptu fundraiser after blowing the convent's petty cash on a camcorder and VCR.
"Well, we're calling it a TiVo to update it," Oberholzer said.
No stranger to the show himself, Oberholzer has served as both director and musical director for "Nunsense" with other theater companies, and was drawn back to the order by the allure of working with close friends.
"It's like working with a family," he said of the Way Off Broadway crew.
Or, at least, a true sister act.