Photo by Roland Finger

Showgirl Nuns In Vegas Let It All Hang Out

By Roland Finger
Staff Writer

You can never have enough showgirl nuns in Sin City. Writer Dan Goggin’s sixth nun-based musical, Nunsensations: The Las Vegas Revue, lets it all hang out, while keeping everything covered with habits and long black dresses. Imagine The Hangover without the roofie, alcohol, Tyson, and sex, but with all the madcap comedy and jokes. Plus, you get some clever songs and wildcat nuns. It’s a hoot to see nuns dancing with feathers and wearing elaborate headdresses while belting out songs about gambling fever and Sin City Sue. Who knew that Sin City Sue, a famous showgirl, gave up a life of decadence and became a nun? Scandalous behavior, gambling, cussing, and illicit sex might actually be good for religion because sinners tend to get fed up with meaningless pleasure and seek a cure. So next time you feel deviant urges sneaking up on you, don’t worry; fulfill them in the name of religion.

Director Craig Ellingson kicks off The Straw Hat Players’ summer season in great form. A talented cast delivers songs with soul and jokes with Rolex timing. If you liked the original Nunsense, you won’t want to miss Nunsensations. The show dazzles from beginning to end. Costume Designer Ricky Greenwell coos over the show’s hats, which add even more vitality to each character.  If you have a thing for nuns—The Flying Nun, Sister Act, or Chaucer’s Nuns—then you must catch this show. These nuns collide with Vegas customs and turn “T and A” into Talent and Attitude.

Reverend Mother leads her band of merry nuns into the land of temptation where they must cope with the pressure to gamble. They feel the pull of their pre-nun non-celibate lives. They even have to deal with how restrictive garments hamper their performance styles. But limitation leads to ingenuity. If lucky, you may get called onto the stage to play the Wheel of Virtues, for which you will receive due compensation. There are no losers at this show. You might even get your hands on complimentary tickets for a visit to the Mustang Ranch.

The Cirque Du Nuns number is much better than any Cirque Du Soleil performance and is a fraction of the cost. Nunsensations weaves plenty of clever pop culture references to Bible stories, adding to the show’s many ironies. The nuns hawk their own wares: Lot’s wife pillar-of-salt shakers and Wayne Newton blow up dolls. It’s all fresh and loaded, crispy and crunchy, a musical buffet befitting the finest Vegas establishments.

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What: Nunsensations: The Las Vegas Revue
Where: MSUM, Gaede Stage
When: June 7-10 and 14-17 at 7:30 p.m.
Cost: Adult $24, Students $12
Info: 218.477.2271