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A Saintly Lesson in Laughs
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
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A Saintly Lesson in Laughs
by Jan Sandberg
News Contributing Reviewer
February 17, 2007
A New York City bakery once ran an ad campaign that featured the tagline, "You don't have to be Jewish to love Levy's."
Similarly, you don't have to be Catholic to enjoy "Late Nite Catechism," a delightful comedy by Maripat Donovan and Vicki Quade, despite its being structured as an adult Catholic catechism class. For one thing, anyone who has grown up in our strongly Catholic city should understand many of the references. And even if you don't, all are explained by the formidable yet lovable teacher.
Known to the audience simply as "Sister," she's a plump, old-school nun whose full, black-and-white habit comes complete with a string of gigantic rosary beads at the hip. Sister's "teaching," as presented with fine command and comic timing by Lela Frechette, features enough hilarious lines to rival the best stand-up routine. That does not mean, however, that Sister brooked any nonsense from her "pupils" in the appropriately intimate space of Shea's Smith Theatre. Calling on - or nominating - volunteers to identify Catholic terms for prizes such as glow-in-the-dark rosaries, she insisted that each stand and state first name, middle name and Confirmation name. Praise for a correct answer was often follwed by a comically abrupt admonition.
"Convent humor," as Sister called it, is nothing new. In fact, "Catechism" has run for 11 years and was originally presented by Shea's in 1999. However, Frechette's able performance - and some updated cultural and local references - had even second-time-arounders chortling.
Some real teaching is hidden within the hilarity, ranging from the esoteric (how to properly bury a St. Joseph statue to aid home selling) to the enlightening (St. Patrick was not from Ireland). There was a touch of sad nostalgia for the pre-Vatican II "heyday of nuns," and a bemoaning of current troubles that Buffalo Catholics could relate to - but always leavened with humor. Times are so tough now, said Sister, that some saints have to be laid off.
At the show's end, Frechette grew serious in order to talk about and take up a collection for the many elderly nuns struggling to get by without any Social Security benefits. Another, very timely act of charity: All Tuesday and Wednesday night performances from February 27 on will be fundraising initiatives for local Catholic schools.
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