Went to go see Sister’s Christmas Catechism last night at the ACT Theater – funny freakin’ play!

Highly recommended.

First off, if you are Catholic or have ever been to Catholic school (and have a sense of humor) this is a must see. Simple, really: it’s like being back in school with a nun for a teacher that is the combination of all the Sister’s you’ve ever had in school. The actress that plays Sister has the mannerisms, the walk, the comfort in a habit, and the “my goodness!” attitude that you’ve probably lived through already.

The history on the character of Sister is this is her third or forth production. In the past things have been non-Christmas themes; this one is all about Christmas. I’m trying not to give away anything, but it’s like a full fledge class. The attention to detail in the set was… eerie. Either there’s Catholic School Ready Made Kit available or someone did their homework (and went shopping for a Catholic flag!) While there, be prepared for a bit of a Catholic history lesson – I know we have a lot of saints in our history but nothing like what Sister knew of… but it’s all in a comedic way, as well. For example: “Ah, Benjamin! That’s an old biblical name… old testament. Doesn’t count.”

Additionally, if you like a show that interacts with the audience, this is a good one for you because… well. There’s more than an average amount of participation. Along the same lines, there were a lot of people in the audience in their 50’s or more; some of the comments were definitely geared to them (i.e. when someone mentions Dragnet, I think of Tom Hanks – not quite what she meant) but I get the impression Sister can shift the content as the audience changes, as needed.

Best moment of the night:

Sister brings a 55-60 year old woman up to the stage to chat her up a bit.

Sister: “What’s your name?”

Woman: “Norma Jean”

Sister: “Ah, just like Marilyn Monroe! What’s your confirmation name?”

Norma Jean: “Don’t have one”

Sister: “Oh… so what do you practice?”

Norma Jean: “Oh… um. Sex!”

Sister takes two steps back and has a moment to herself.

Definitely a show I’ll remember for quite some time – and will revisit the non-Christmas productions, should they show up again.