I have feeling that Ms. Donavan is secure in her<\/em> abilities, though, because she\u2019s definitely in charge! On opening night at the Carrie Hamilton Theatre, above the Pasadena Playhouse, she was in rare form dealing with a crazy female heckler. I know she wouldn\u2019t have hit the girl with a ruler, like I\u2019ve heard real nuns did back in the day, but none of us would have blamed her!<\/p>\n The show is set-up like a classroom, which also gave me warm feelings of my days as a teacher. I appreciated every little bit of the set decorations, especially the cursive writing chart along the top. But she could have performed this on just an empty stage, with no nun\u2019s habit, because she\u2019s funny, and that\u2019s all that\u2019s necessary.<\/p>\n Having the concept of a nun teaching a class, though, just adds to her humor. I really do think that being Catholic would help audience members just a taste, because, even with a non-Jewish boyfriend, who went to Catholic schools even through college(!!!,) I didn\u2019t know half of the religion part of the dialogue. (The audience gets to speak a lot, hence my use of the word \u201cdialogue\u201d as opposed to \u201cmonologue.\u201d) I am proud to say, though, that I was probably the only person in the audience who knew what the \u201cImmaculate Conception\u201d really is, thanks to a super-smart father who schooled several of my Catholic school friends on the topic many years ago. So, yay me!\u00a0[Note: I actually use it as one of my \u201cchallenges\u201d to people, along with the proper use of the word \u201cnauseous.\u201d So, look them up for yourself and get to look as smart as I do!]<\/p>\n But, it really doesn\u2019t matter what religion you are, or if you\u2019re part of a couple or go see it alone. Everyone with a sense of humor should enjoy this show. This \u201cclass,\u201d as the different versions of the show are called, is ostensibly about marriage, so couples in the audience play a huge part in it. The second half contains a hilarious version of a couples-only game show. I don\u2019t know who had more fun when I saw it–the duos themselves or the people watching it. I don\u2019t want to give more than that away so you\u2019ll get to experience it for yourself. And each show is unique, anyway, because of the audience energy that night.<\/p>\n The whole event is an easy-going evening of fun, which I think all of us need nowadays. And Maripat does something really nice at the end of the show–she collects small donations on the way out to help to support retired nuns in need. As I\u2019ve read, the entire Late Nite Catechism <\/em>franchise has collected over two million dollars for them. So make sure that, in addition to your sense of humor, you bring some cash because you wouldn\u2019t want even a fake<\/em> sister to damn you to hell!<\/p>\n \u2019Til Death Do Us Part: Late Nite Catechism 3<\/em> running through April 3, 2011 \u2019TIL DEATH DO US PART: LATE NITE CATECHISM 3 \u00a0 This is the latest incarnation of the original one-woman show Late Nite Catechism, which first appeared in the early \u201990s. Maripat Donovan, who also co-wrote the show with director Marc Silvia, reprises her role as \u201cSister.\u201d I\u2019ve never seen any of the three previous ones,<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/TilDeath_MaripatDnovan.jpg\" "\\"TilDeath_MaripatDnovan\\"")
<\/a>I\u2019ve never seen any of the three previous ones, (there\u2019s the original, #2, and a Christmas edition,) so I went in blind, the way I like to. But the press release read, in part, \u201cClassroom participation is a must, so bring along your sweetie and your sense of humor for some quality time with Sister,\u201d so I knew there would be a lot of riffing off the audience, a technique that\u2019s near and dear to my heart. That\u2019s what I did for all the many years of my show, so I know it\u2019s no easy no task; you just kind-of hope that the audience is in the mood, and that your comedy mind kicks in.<\/p>\n
\nCarrie Hamilton Theatre at the Pasadena Playhouse39 South El Molino Ave. Pasadena 626-356-7529 <\/strong>www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"