‘POTUS’ is Audacious Side-Splitting Satire from Tesseract Theatre

‘POTUS’ is Audacious Side-Splitting Satire from Tesseract Theatre

By Lynn Venhaus

The late great Democratic politician Ann Richards, former Texas governor and vocal feminist advocate, once said: “In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman.”

She also said, “The roosters may crow, but the hens deliver the goods.”

Amen to that. Such is the example of Tesseract Theatre’s audacious side-splitting satire “POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive” by Selina Fillinger.

The focus is on the subtitle and resembles recent “Saturday Night Live” zingers as we see seven women connected to the U.S. President trying to get through a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day without a gentle good night in sight, either.

The president’s off-color remark about his wife has created a frenzy, and while his chief of staff and press secretary try to develop a response, other firestorms are brewing. Conditions spiral from there, as zany as a Marx Brothers movie, with nods to “VEEP” and “Noises Off!” as well.

Kelly Schnider as Harriet. Photo by Florence Flick.

Given the world’s current state of affairs, we might as well laugh, and there are plenty of opportunities to do so. Because the alternative is screaming or crying, and we have more chances for that in the continuous “Twilight Zone” loop we’re living in now.

We never see the leader of the free world, but vivid descriptions by the colorful characters piece together an unflattering portrait of an incompetent lout that sure doesn’t appreciate his ninja staff as he should because they deal with his sexual and political fallout. While vulgar, his obscene description of his wife is the least of his problems.

With its spry septet and fleet, whip-smart direction by Jessica Winingham, this regional premiere merges Fillinger’s sly, sharp dialogue and goofy antics into stylish chaos performed with gusto in the Kranzberg Black Box Theatre.

Displaying a farcical team spirit, even at their silliest, the weathered women elevate the nuttiness. Their fierce ‘we’re all in this together’ attitude fuels this stellar female cast.

The best and brightest politicos, now beleaguered, are in various degrees of meltdowns. As Harriet, Kelly Schnider is the epitome of a crisis manager as the sleek chief of staff who has been handling most of the nation’s business anyway.

Sarajane Clark is at her blunt, sarcastic best as Jean, the sharp-tongued press secretary trying to put out fires as soon as the president’s troublemaker sister, haughty unhappy wife, chatty girlfriend and nosy news reporter start them.

Angela Jean Hetz is amusing as Stephanie, the dutiful but hapless secretary who is always worried about losing her job. She throws herself into broad physical comedy with glee, and some blood is spilled.

The other four roles complicate the staff’s workday, which escalates the worsening situation.

Telegraphing B.S. through her facial expressions, Kimmie Kidd is comically delicious as the polished all-image-focused First Lady Margaret, whose line delivery drips with sarcasm as often as possible. She does not suffer fools, although she must act blissfully happy as the president’s spouse.

Angela Jean Hetz and Isa Davis. Photo by Florence Flick.

Isa Davis is a hoot as ditzy Dusty, an unsophisticated smalltown girl who has been invited to the Oval Office to see the president, but she already ‘knows’ him. The disarming Gen-Z’er enlivens the day’s events considerably, using her impressive dance team skills and naivete to benefit them all.

Angelia Prather vies with Davis for the biggest scene-stealer as Bernadette, the president’s black sheep sister, fresh out of prison through a controversial presidential pardon. The drug-dealing lesbian sister also admits to some shady business in the West Wing. She might have the funniest lines of all.

Laurell Renea Costello has fun as Chris, the pushy reporter who overhears and sees things she shouldn’t have, landing in a big puddle of hot water.

Because there aren’t any doors, per se, to dart in and out of, or slam, the creative design dilemma is solved through Winingham’s choice to have moving partitions. This makes the women’s physical comedy unimpeded.

Angelia Prather and Sarajane Clark. Photo by Florence Flick.

Tony Anselmo’s lighting design and Michael Musgrove-Perkins’ sound design add to the atmosphere, with rambling sound bites from the current president and emphasizes the clown-car operations at Pennsylvania Avenue.

Costume Designer Mary Bobbins has made savvy choices suitable for each character’s personality.

Stage Manager Bella Lucero, Production Manager Sarah Baucom and Technical Director Kevin Sallwasser have created an astute playground for power plays, well-suited to achieve success in this production.

While the first act is sharp and skillful, the second act is goofier, often chemically enhanced nonsense – but it’s all madcap, not mean-spirited, in a feel-good but desperate ‘all for one, one for all’ attempt to clean up a very big mess.

Laurell renea Costello as Chris. Photo by Florence Fliick.

While one can pick apart Fillinger’s logic for orchestrating insanity, this delightful cast is so well-choreographed by Winingham that the pleasure is derived from the performances.

Fillinger, who was a staff writer on “The Morning Show,” is clever in her contemporary satire. So is Winingham’s fast-paced direction.

Somehow, the communal laughter is contagious and cathartic, especially at this moment in time. And women indicating there’s strength in community is a lasting takeaway, no matter how pessimistic you are about the future.

Tesseract Theatre Company presents “POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive” May 22 through June 1 at the Kranzberg Black Box Theatre in Grand Center. For more information, visit tesseracttheatreco.org.

Sarajane Clark as Jean. Photo by Florence Flick

Stray Dog Theatre’s ‘The Curious Savage’ is Sweet Comical Kiss

Stray Dog Theatre’s ‘The Curious Savage’ is Sweet Comical Kiss

By Lynn Venhaus

A sweet and tender-hearted foray into found families, “The Curious Savage” is brought to vivid life with warmth by an eclectic cast of 11 characters.

Reminiscent at times of the screwball antics of “You Can’t Take It with You,” this 1950 amiable comedy by playwright John Patrick kicks off Stray Dog Theatre’s season with a heartwarming effort.

Set in a live-in psychiatric center called The Cloisters, Ethel Savage has been placed there by her three awful stepchildren. Greedy, self-centered and rude, the trio are cartoonish villains played in over-the-top characterizations by seasoned pros Matt Anderson, Sarajane Clark and Joseph Garner, who have great fun being despicable.

Anderson is a condescending senator, Clark is a vain actress who has been married six times, and Garner is a haughty judge. All display degrees of entitlement and indignation, for they think their father’s second wife is mentally unstable. She inherited $10 million and wants to give it to people who want to pursue their dreams.

The bratty kids want the money for themselves, therefore, wreak havoc at the sanitarium by badgering her, bullying the staff and disrupting the fragile ecosystem among the patients.

Tyson Cole, Liz Mischel, Gansner and Lindsey Grojean. Photo by John Lamb.

In an amusing performance, Liz Mischel excels as a crazy-like-a-fox senior citizen, whose compassion and kindness is in stark contrast to her stepchildren’s demanding threats.

Ethel quickly ingratiates herself with the staff and the residents, and bonds form with the damaged/broken people whose mental trauma resulted in a sanitarium stay.

Director Gary F. Bell deftly directed this piece to bring out The Cloisters’ characters’ goodness and dignity, and the staff’s humanity. While what they say is often funny, they are not punchlines to any cruel jokes and are treated as individuals. The well-cast performers are convincing in portraying their characters’ issues, and they all gel as a satisfying ensemble.

Lindsey Grojean is delightful as the childlike Fairy May, who is unfiltered and funny, while Anne Vega is a caring mother, Florence, whose loss of her infant son caused a breakdown. She believes John Thomas is still alive.

Camille Fensterman is tormented Mrs. Paddy who professes to “hate everything” and delivers laundry lists of things she dislikes, but she doesn’t speak other than those litanies, only painting seascapes in a corner.

Tyler Cole plays a skittish World War II veteran Jeffrey, who was a pilot who survived a crash while all his men perished. He’s convinced he has a horrible facial scar and holds his hand to his face hiding it.

Gansner is helpful statistician Hannibal, who lost his job to an electronic calculator. He plays the violin, badly. The characters have personal quirks, such as Miss Paddy who gave up electricity for Lent, and is turning off the lights at inopportune times.

David Wassilak is Dr. Emmett, the matter-of-fact and fair doctor-administrator, while Claire Coffey is pleasant Miss Willie, who helps with patients. She also shares a secret.

Over the course of three acts, we are charmed by this smart, intuitive ensemble, portraying lovable characters with a great deal of heart, and the bad guys who are at their grumpiest and at times, histrionic. The joke is often on them.

Lz Mischel, David Wassilak, Anne Vega, Joseph Garner, Matt Anderson and Sarajane Clark. Photo by John Lamb.

The playwright has become a favorite of community and school theaters, and the most famous of his works is “The Teahouse of the August Moon,” which won a Pulitzer Prize for drama and a Tony Award for best play in 1954.

The only drawback to presenting a 75-year-old play is its outdated views on mental illness and mental health but does make strong points about the insanity on the outside that wields ugly power in society.

Think of it as a period piece, like the classic “Harvey” and other old chestnuts. Costumer Colleen Michelson has gathered frocks and casual attire from the 50s era, while dressing Lily Bell in scarlet dresses. As Ethel, Liz wears a dandy gaudy hat.

As is customary, Bell, as scenic designer, created a cozy interior on stage, while lighting designer Tyler Duenow and sound designer Justin Been enhanced the atmosphere.

A thoughtful and enjoyable approach to a heart-warming comedy, “The Curious Savage” is a comical kiss to kindness elevated by captivating performances.

Camille Fensterman, Lindsey Grojean, David Wassilak. Photo by John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents “The Curious Savage” Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., Feb. 6-Feb. 22, with additional performances at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16, at Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee Avenue, St. Louis. There are two 10-minute intermissions. For more information: www.straydogtheatre.org.

Mizell Masters Poe in Moody, Gloomy Theatrical ‘Nevermore’ at Stray Dog

Mizell Masters Poe in Moody, Gloomy Theatrical ‘Nevermore’ at Stray Dog

By Lynn Venhaus

Edgar Allan Poe’s tremendous body of work has impacted pop culture for generations – art, photography, music, movies and television. Now Stray Dog Theatre pays tribute to the distinguished 19th century American writer and poet by exploring his highs and lows in a stylized musical.

Mixing fact and fiction, and material from his mysterious writings and mostly miserable life, “Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe” features a passionate performance from lead Drew Mizell and others in a seven-person ensemble portraying a wide range of roles.

Mizell immerses himself fully as Poe, from his early years through his studies, and his plethora of adversities as an adult. The cast understood the assignment, with the insight of Sarajane Clark, who was the dramaturg.

As the maestro of this macabre musical, Director Justin Been has embellished this often gloomy story with superb atmospheric visual and aural flourishes. The strong technical work is superior to the unusual musical’s structure that seems repetitive and lacking oomph.

Granted, musical numbers expanding on the literary titan’s torment, and his heartbreaks, gut-wrenching tragedies, woeful bad luck and throes of addiction and family mental dysfunction don’t exactly instill confidence nor come across in a “Life’s a Happy Song” scenario.

Drew Mizell as Edgar Allan Poe. Photo by John Lamb.

Been, whose work creating effective sound design to punctuate his shows is often a high point, teamed up with Wade Staples, and the pair goes above and beyond here – an outstanding effort that is one of the most distinctive this year.

Matthew Skopyk added spooky instrumental music that infiltrated the dark shadows while he also did orchestrations supplementing composer, lyricist and libretto Jonathan Christenson’s.

Been, who also designed the set and visual effects, employed a hazy shade of New England winter and an eerie and chilly demeanor, while ace lighting designer Tyler Duenow illuminated the creepiness perfectly. The Raven illusion is well-staged.

Been also collaborated with choreographer Maggie Nold for innovative steps, and she came through illustriously, for she wasn’t content with presenting the same old with this troupe.

Costume designer Sarah Gene Dowling fashioned a gothic tale in look and attitude. Dowling’s black-and-white endeavors are striking, as are her pops of deep reds and purple to break up the monochrome palette. She designed appropriate hair and makeup looks for each character that elegantly suited them.                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Been’s staging experimented more with images and swirling movements, weaving the seven players in and out of the spotlighted action.

Because the cast is so committed and vocally strong, they elevate Christenson’s very old-timey and very theatrical script and songs that are reminiscent of vintage melodramas and vaudeville olios.

Jennifer Buchheit is the music director but it’s Christenson’s recorded orchestrations that are used, not musicians off stage.

To his credit, Christenson sampled some of Poe’s most famous prose in his dialogue, lyrics and song titles.

Photo by John Lamb.

Because Poe’s anguished real life influenced his most famous creations, fans of his literary work will be able to hear some familiar and favorite references. Poe’s timeless works include “The Raven,” “Annabelle Lee,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “El Dorado,” “The Masque of the Red Death” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.”

The musical was first performed in 2009 in Canada and later produced off-Broadway in 2015. While the timing is appropriate for the Halloween season, the material isn’t in the same league to become a cult classic like “The Rocky Horror Show,” “Heathers the Musical” or “Evil Dead: The Musical,” and doesn’t have the staying power of Agatha Christie’s immortal dark thrillers. But fans of Poe seem enthralled with it.

Poe was a melancholic soul who went on to great acclaim posthumously. He was born in Boston, the second child of actors, on Jan. 19, 1809, and died under suspicious circumstances in Baltimore at age 40 on Oct. 7, 1849.

He grew up with an older brother Henry and a younger sister Rosalie, but their poverty and loss of parents at an early age doomed them to troubled lives and often long periods of separation. Stray Dog’s outstanding veterans Stephen Henley and Dawn Schmid emotionally deliver in their sibling portrayals.  

After enlisting in the Army in 1827, Poe published his first collection of poems. When he failed as an officer cadet at West Point, he decided to become a writer, and switched to prose. The play doesn’t include his military sidestep.

Photo by John Lamb.

He worked for literary journals and periodicals, and became known for his literary criticism, moving between Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City. Finally, he garnered instant success in 1845 after publishing his poem “The Raven.”

His two lady loves tug at your heartstrings, as Sara Rae Womack sweetly plays “the one that got away” – Elmira, and Dawn Schmid is sunny as his cousin Virginia Clemm, whom he married at age 27. She died of tuberculosis in 1847.

Schmid also shifts gears as his kind foster mother Fanny and Kevin O’Brien, rocking some appropriate period facial hair, is his cold, cruel foster father John Allan, a tobacco merchant in Richmond, Virginia.

Heather Fehl is Poe’s very dramatic but sickly actress mother Eliza, displaying a supple singing voice, and Michael Cox is dastardly as his slimy publisher Rufus Griswold.

The drama calls for an old-style affectation that doesn’t lend itself to contemporary immersive storytelling, which is my preference, but I appreciate the concept. I didn’t find the songs particularly memorable, although the cast animatedly delivered them with everything they had, and were it not for their fervor, the musical numbers would have been mostly monotonous.

Poe once said, “All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream,” and Been and company emphasized the ethereal, mystical quality of the material. They gilded this sad and sorrowful tale with their considerable skills to offer an interesting perspective.

Photo by John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents “Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe” from Oct. 17 to Nov. 2. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m., with special shows on Sunday, Oct. 20, at 2 p.m., and on Halloween, Oct. 31, at 8 p.m. at Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee Ave., St. Louis.

Tickets are general admission seating, and the box office/will call open 1 hour prior to showtime. For more information, contact 314-865-1995 or visit straydogtheatre.org

Merry Mayhem Marks Musical Spoof ‘Ruthless!’ at Stray Dog Theatre

Merry Mayhem Marks Musical Spoof ‘Ruthless!’ at Stray Dog Theatre

By Lynn Venhaus

A pair of farce specialists aim for over-the-top in spectacular style in “Ruthless! The Musical,” a kitschy, campy stage mom-showbiz melodramatic throwdown that emphasizes big – in ambition, voices, and stylistic flourishes.

Very funny Sarah Gene Dowling and Sarajane Clark trade wits as the clashing divas who challenge each other in this small-scale musical spoof. It features an all-female cast and a scheming fame-obsessed jazz-hands kid.

This is the first pairing of the Stray Dog Theatre favorites – think Bea Arthur and Angela Lansbury in “Mame,” and they easily affect an exaggerated form of movie-star acting that’s part early soap opera, part “Saturday Night Live” and “The Carol Burnett Show” sketch imitations.

The silliness is carefully controlled chaotic fun, deftly directed by veteran Justin Been, as Stray Dog continues its penchant for broad comic material resembling the Charles Busch plays that they’ve previously produced: “Psycho Beach Party,” “Red Scare on Sunset,” “Die, Mommy, Die!” and “Vampire Lesbians of Sodom.” 

Dowling, looking like she stepped out of the pages of “Ladies’ Home Journal,” is stereotypical ‘50s housewife Judy Denmark, who answers her always-ringing landline by identifying herself as “Tina’s Mom.”

Any similarities with super moms of that golden era – Donna Reed, Harriet Nelson, Jane Wyatt and Barbara Billingsley — is intentional.

Sarajane Clark, Sarah Gene Dowling and Laura Kyro in ‘Ruthless!” Photo by John Lamb.

In scenic designer Rob Lippert’s carefully appointed mid-century modern home decked out in canary yellow, Judy keeps it spotless by her obsessive house-cleaning. Judy professes to be content, and a running gag is her affection for Pledge furniture spray.

But when a mysterious talent agent, Sylvia St. Croix, rings her doorbell, things are going to take a few turns. As Sylvia, Clark, who can out-Joan Crawford anyone, conjures bygone Hollywood glamour through stunning black-and-white outfits, complete with matching hats and turbans.

Costume designer Colleen Michelson has assembled an outstanding panoply of Audrey Hepburn-worthy ensembles for Clark, and Dowling’s retro floral print dress is perfection.

But some of the other women’s dresses are too short or ill-fitting, such as Eve’s tight emerald-green dress that she keeps tugging at while she’s flitting about.

You know this is going to be a wacky romp by reading the program: “Please Note: This production contains smoke effects, replica firearms, loud noises, and children doing very bad things. Viewer discretion is advised.”

In a daffy debut, Finley Mohr is poised as chipper “8-year-old” Tina, who won’t let anyone stand in the way of her becoming a star. When she isn’t cast as Pippi Longstocking in her school musical, hell hath no fury like a sociopathic stage brat spurned.

Is she another “The Bad Seed” who looks like Little Orphan Annie? For she takes aim at her rival, Louise Lerman, played with comedic flair by Sarah Lantsberger as a far less talented kid. Louise’s parents secured her the lead through third-grade teacher Miss Myrna Thorn, and nimble performer Anna Langdon is the very dramatic instructor who is also a conniving and frustrated actress.

Laura Kyro goes all in as haughty Lita Encore, a self-important theater critic who hates musicals – and pours her loathing, Ethel Merman-style, into an “I Hate Musicals” number. When she shows up to review “Pippi in Tahiti,” we learn she has ties to the Denmarks. Dun dun duuun!

Sarah Gene Dowling and Finley Mohr. Photo by John Lamb.

These bizarre six degrees of separation are revealed at various times, giving the feeling of whiplash, and old-timey melodramas that once were staged on showboats. The plethora of plot twists are a mix of destiny and flimsy fictional tropes.

Before the first act wraps, we discover Judy is the daughter of Ruth Del Marco, a Broadway star who supposedly took her own life after a scathing review by Lita. Turns out the talentless Judy discovers her gifts and becomes a very different character in the second act.

The book and lyrics by Joel Paley and music by Marvin Laird are a blend of John Waters snark, Douglas Sirk 1950s ‘women’s pictures’ and nods to “All About Eve,” “Gypsy,” and other show-bizzy tales.

The show debuted off-Broadway in 1992, then was revised in 2015 into a streamlined 90-minute version without an intermission. This production is performed in two acts, with a 10-minute intermission, and is more than 2 hours’ long, which drags out the jokes.

The second act takes place in a New York City penthouse, where vainglorious prima donna Ginger Del Marco (Dowling) is ensconced with her manipulative assistant Eve (Lantsberger).

Del Marco is free of the constraints of being a wife and mother, for Tina has been sent away to the Daisy Clover School for Psychopathic Ingenues. Ginger has won a Tony Award and has become devious and insufferable in her narcissism.

The supporting women come and go, playing various characters – and it’s best to be surprised by the identities and ensuing shenanigans.

The six females are all belters and have big Patti LuPone moments to sing out, mostly tongue-in-cheek style. Clark’s signature number “Talent” is reprised with the confident Mohr, whose cutthroat showbiz aspirations are the point of “Born to Entertain” and “To Play This Part.” The beaming Mohr can tap dance too, and Sara Rae Womack handled the choreography,

Laura Kyro, Sarah Gene Dowling, Sarah Lantsberger, Finley Mohr, Anna Langdon and Sarajane Clark. Photo by John Lamb.

Dowling and Mohr work well as the mother-daughter duo, and feign affection in “Kisses and Hugs,” “Angel Mom” (with Sylvia) and “Parents and Children.”

Clark teams up with Dowling on “Where Tina Gets It From” and delivers a Cruella de Ville-type number “I Want the Girl.”

Each character has at least one showcase number – Langdon on “Teaching Third Grade,” and Lantsberger on “A Penthouse Apartment” as Eve and “The Pippi Song” as Louise.

Musical director Randon Lane sleekly leads the four-piece band: Mike Hansen on percussion, M. Joshua Ryan on bass, Mary Jewell Wiley on reeds, and he’s on keyboards. Been has doubled as sound designer, and his snippets of swelling-strings movie scores add to the atmosphere, as does Tyler Duenow lighting designs.

“Ruthless!” is brash in its trashy escapades, with pleasing production elements that involved creative collaboration. Designed to tip its hat to the showbiz dreams all theater-loving folks grew up on, the peppery parody is performed with noteworthy zeal by blithe spirits. The sharp six are clearly having a blast playing together in the sandbox.

Dowling, Mohr, Clark. Photo by John Lamb.

Stray Dog Theatre presents “Ruthless! The Musical” from Aug. 1-24 at the Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee Avenue, St. Louis. Showtimes are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., with additional performances at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11, and Sunday, Aug. 18. Gated parking is available. For more information and ticket reservations, call 314-865-1995 or visit www.straydogtheatre.org.

Accessible Performances — ASL Interpretation: The 8/2, 8/9, 8/16, and 8/23 performances will be presented with ASL interpretation by students from Southwestern Illinois College. ASL interpreted performances are suitable for audience members who are deaf, deafened, or have hearing loss. They can also be valuable for people who are learning ASL.

Vitriolic ‘Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You’ Still Pushes Buttons

Vitriolic ‘Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You’ Still Pushes Buttons

By Lynn Venhaus

A social satire is not fulfilling its goal if it doesn’t outrage somebody, and “Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You” is certainly provocative.

Stray Dog Theatre’s production pushes buttons, even though the show is now 43 years old. Wickedly funny, bold and acrimonious, the company wisely played it straight.

But you won’t find protesters outside Tower Grove Abbey. This time at least. Stray Dog Theatre isn’t a group that shies away from controversial subject matter and has presented bold and unconventional fare before. (For instance, this year alone, Charles Busch’s campy satire “Vampire Lesbians of Sodom” was the June show).

Christopher Durang’s watershed 1979 play takes aim at Roman Catholic dogma, and specifically, a rigid teaching nun for her over-reaching and unchecked abuse of power.

For his absurdist comedy, he mocked the nuns as authority figures. Apparently, he had a lot of anger from being raised Catholic. With identity and sexual disorientation being among his frequent themes, of course he channeled it all in this script.

As a graduate of Our Lady of Peace School in Providence, New Jersey, Durang no doubt stored material as he matriculated there, and went on to Harvard and Yale School of Drama. He also won the Obie Award for Best Playwright in 1980, at age 32, for this work. (Much later, he won a Tony for “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” in 2012).

“Sister Mary Ignatius” brought him to national prominence and raised the ire of St. Louis Catholics. If you think Billy Joel’s song “Only the Good Die Young” caused a ruckus in the St. Louis Archdiocese in 1977, well they went ballistic when the Theatre Project Company announced they would be presenting the black comedy in 1983. Thirty years ago, the archbishop condemned it, and protests ensued.

But these days, after years of clergy being unfavorably in the spotlight, and nuns as characters in both comedies and dramas, “Sister Mary Ignatius” isn’t the lightning rod it once was. And Catholics have other things more pressing to worry about – although being traumatized by a religious order should remain high on the list.

The one-act starts out with a conventional structure but then meltdowns begin. Sister Mary Ignatius, played with utmost conviction by Sarajane Clark, is still teaching children about the perils of sin and hellfire when several alumni – mostly hot messes — come for a visit. When she finds out how far these members of her flock have strayed from the path of righteousness, well let’s just say there are some shocking consequences.

Tables turn, and it isn’t pretty. Director Gary F. Bell stages it as an absurdist horror film.

Rachel Bailey is the emotionally wounded Diane Symonds, who threatens Sister’s life. Eileen Engel is Philomena, an unwed mother, Stephen Henley is Gary, polite and gay, with Sean Seifert as Aloysius, a troubled alcoholic. They’re all genuine on stage, veterans that they are.

Sister’s obedient little Thomas is played with poise by youngster Tommy Pepper, who misses the violence on stage.

Anyone who went to a parochial school will be reminded of catechism teachings and how rigid certain nuns were.

Sister Mary Ignatius is an extreme example, but there are nuggets of truth in this mischievous manifesto. The sharp satire makes for some uncomfortable and awkward moments, so folks are warned in case there would be triggers.

Stray Dog Theatre presents “Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You” for mature audiences Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. Nov. 30 – Dec. 16. For tickets or for more information, visit www.straydogtheatre.org.

All photos by John Lamb