On Stage This Weekend: "Nunsense"

   The bad thing about being out of town on vacation was missing the opening weekend for Huntington's new summer theatre, HART!

   That group has kicked off its summer productions with Nunsense, the musical comedy about a small group of nuns who find themselves in hot water - and come up with an original way to solve their problems. It's a fast, funny show and well worth a visit to Ritter Park this weekend.

   Here's an excerpt from Dave Lavender's story in the Herald-Dispatch about the show:

   As the sky above the Ritter Park Amphitheater fades to black, the soft spotlight of the stage shines on the Rev. Mother, who is a bit "lit" herself -- Lord have mercy.

   Rolling around the stage and owning every square inch of it, the Rev. Mother (actress Mary Williams) gets steadily building waves of laughter from those at rehearsal and director Danny Ray nearly spits his last drink of water into the grass as he roars.

   Packed with more one-liners and laughs than the nearby hardwoods hold fireflies, the rollicking comedy musical "Nunsense," goes up at 8:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday, June 27-29.

   Gates open at 6:30 nightly. The pre-show, "Adventures in Storyland," will begin at 7 p.m.

   Tickets for this first production of Huntington Area Regional Theatre or HART in the Park are $15, $20 for reserved and $10 for children at the Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District office at Heritage Station, the Ritter Park Tennis Center, as well as online at www.ghprd.org. Tickets will also be available at the gate.

   Featuring the theatrical return of veteran director Danny Ray, the show (with musical direction by C.J. Casey and choreography by Sarah Hayes) "Nunsense" has an all-star local cast. The Reverend Mother is played by Mary Williams, Sister Hubert by Mary Olson, Sister Robert Anne by Jane Modlin, Sister Leo by Meg Barber, and Sister Amnesia by Cindy Westbrook.