Nuns Kill 52 of Their Sisters!

Now that’s an attention-grabber, so please read on.

Fear not: The ladies of the cloth have not joined the Mafia, but have accidentally served vichyssoise tainted with botulism toxin in the refectory of the Order of the Little Sisters of Hoboken in New Jersey.

That’s the basis of the plot of the Little Theatre Group’s upcoming musical comedy. “Nunsense” features the five remaining sisters who escaped the sickness and are on the horns of a dilemma. They’ve been able to give all but four of the departed sisters a decent burial, but because the nunnery hasn’t the cash to bury them, the last four are still in the freezer.

The five nuns hit upon a plan to raise the cash for the four funerals by putting on a show. They call on their pool of talents, both from their pre-convent days and those they still secretly harbor beneath their habits. The result is a hilarious romp.

The five surviving nuns a re Mother Superior, a.k.a. Sister Mary Regina with Mae West tendencies, played by Stacy Chamblin; Sister Mary Hubert, played by Kathryn Smith; Sister Robert Anne, played by Sheila Morrison; Sister Mary Amnesia, played by Pilar Saavedra-Vela; and Sister Mary Leo, played by Lindsy Gutiérrez.

Bob and Dorothy Allison have called on their considerable theatrical experience as musical and artistic directors, and, together with Sherrie Robinson as choreographer and Penny Houghton as producer, have been hard at rehearsals with the cast for several weeks.

The production will be staged Sept. 5 to 28 at the theater group’s new home in San José’s Laurence Olivier Theater, at Avenida 2, Calle 28, next to Sala Garbo. Anticipating a big demand for tickets, the group has extended the run of the show from its usual three weekends to four, for a total of 15 performances, Friday through Sunday the first weekend and Thursday through Sunday thereafter. Sunday performances are matinees at 2:30 p.m.; all other performances are at 7:30 p.m.

For reservations, call 8355-1623 or go to www.littletheatregroup.org. Please note the first Sunday matinee has been presold to Democrats Abroad.

Phil Copeland is vice president of the Little Theatre Group’s board of directors.