THE THEATER MIRROR, New England's LIVE Theater Guide

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Although some Catholics may think it’s a sin (and some purists may denounce it as piffle) those naughty nuns are back at Turtle Lane, cavorting shamelessly in NUNSENSE II.

If you’re a fan of the original NUNSENSE, then N II is your cup of tea. If you’re a Shakespeare devotee, it’s probably not.

What N II has going for it is the Turtle Lane cast, directed by Scott Gagnon (with musical direction by Wayne Ward.) These actresses are so good you wish they were performing the MIKADO (Alas, my favorite G&S operetta is present in name only, on Ronald L. Dion’s gorgeous set.)

Dan Goggin’s cash cows about the wacky Little Sisters of Hoboken never stray far from the fold. Tammy Faye Bakker and the Pope get one small mention each but Goggins stays away from the real controversy in the church today.

A truly lame plot is, thank the Lord, buoyed by a powerhouse performance from Sarah Consentino, who gets to show off her extraordinary vocal range (belt and coluratura!) and her sizeable funny bone, not to mention her grand jete. Tracy Nygard, who was sensational in TLP’s OKLAHOMA this summer, gets N II’s only poignant ballad and she sings the heck out of it.

From JoAnne Powers’ rousing gospel number, to Mary O’Donnell’s dead on Elvis, to Kristen Huberdeau’s daffy country and western act, these nuns have spunk. If only they had Pooh Bah and Pish Tush to lend verisimilitude to the act!