“Late Nite Catechism” features the character Sister, played by Denise Marie Christina Fennell, at the ArtStage Studio at Florida Repertory Theatre through July 7. COURTESY PHOTOS
Here are some things I learned from attending catechism class recently:
Catholics invented alcohol.
They also invented gambling.
And all major holidays.
Some factory somewhere actually manufactures rosaries that glow in the dark.
If you lose something, you have to say a little chant to St. Anthony, calling him “Tony.”
If you want to sell your house, you need to bury a statue of St. Joseph head-down in your backyard, facing your house. (That, I knew.) But you’re in big trouble if you forget to dig him back up and give him a place of honor in your new home. I wasn’t quite clear on what exactly would happen, but it was implied he might track you down and show up on your doorstep, unhappy, with dirt all over him like a dog that’s been digging in the dirt.
Sister (Denise Marie Christina Fennell) is teaching these pearls of theological wisdom and more in “Late Nite Catechism” at the ArtStage Studio at Florida Repertory Theatre. These “classes” are being taught through July 7.
FENNELL
And no matter what your denomination or religious affiliation (or lack thereof), you will enjoy yourself.
“Late Nite Catechism” is a million times funnier than “Nunsense.” It’s even more entertaining than “Sister Act.”
Or, as Sister puts it when talking about the saints, “We’ve got better stories than Harry Potter.”
Fennell not only has better stories but excellent comedic timing and a gift for interacting with an audience that rivals Paula Poundstone’s or Sarah Millican’s.
She’s in full command of her classroom from the moment she steps onstage in full habit, the black-and-white outfit covering her complete body as well as her head and neck.
“I want 100 percent participation tonight,” she orders near the show’s beginning.
Boy, did she get it.
The night I attended, the audience was wildly rambunctious and lively, including a few who had a little too much to drink and thought they were funnier. (They weren’t.) Fennell handled them well.
She’s lightning quick with a quip, a retort.
Think it’s hot outside?
Wait until you’re under the withering glare of Sister for giving a wrong answer or sitting down before she tells you to.
The show is part-scripted, part-improv, part-audience participation, and totally funny.
Fennell stands in a classroom painted a faded flamingo pink. (Set design by Charles Clark.) Pictures of the Virgin Mary, inspirational sayings, Bible verses and American presidents decorate the walls. Sister uses a blackboard with the names of saints written on them for instruction but she had so much fun interacting with the audience that it took her an hour to get to them.
“It’s so fun to be me,” she declared at one point.
And to a woman who decided to take a piece of gum out of her purse mid-show: “Did you bring enough for everybody?” The gum, of course, was instantly confiscated.
She demands order in her classroom, because, as she explains, “If everybody doesn’t raise their hand and just shouts out, you know what this will turn into? Public school.”
The show careens wildly from one absurd interaction to another; you never know where it’s going to go.
And because each audience is different, no two shows are ever alike. Fennell herself doesn’t know what weird things people are going to say or ask.
“We had no idea when we showed up what was going to happen,” Fennell told the audience. “You’re having an experience that no matter how hard you try to explain it, you’ll never do it justice.”
This is true.
Though I can never explain “Late Nite Catechism” adequately, I can say this: it was fun, and it made me laugh more often than I have in a long while. I’d gladly attend Sister’s other classes, and even attend this one again. (I hope Florida Rep brings her back next summer for her Christmas class and Nativity show. Christmas in July!)
Not being Catholic, I thought I’d feel like an outsider and not understand many of the jokes. That never happened.
Yes, the show is edgy, but I felt joy and an odd sense of community and acceptance.
Go see it, because God knows, you need a laugh. ¦
In the KNOW
“Late Nite Catechism”
· When: through July 7
· Where: ArtStage Studio Theatre at Florida Repertory Theatre, Bay St. between Hendry and Jackson, downtown Fort Myers
· Cost: $65
· Information: 239-332-4488 or floridarep.org