Nunsense
Louise Gold starred as Sister Mary Amnesia at The
Fortune Theatre, which has a disused Public Right of Way running through its
auditorium and across the stage, opened 23 March 1987 (previews from 18 March).
It was still running in January 1988, but had ended by February 1988 – Louise
Gold’s showstopping may be due as much to her skills as a puppeteer as to her
monumental vocals. As Louise herself commented (referring to being an actress
cum puppeteer):
"That's
one of the few shows where the two can be combined." Louise Gold,
Cast
Original
Sister Mary Regina - Honour Blackman
Sister Mary Hubert - Pip Hinton
Sister Robert Anne - Anna Sharkey
Sister Mary Amnesia - Louise Gold
Sister Mary Leo - Bronwen Stanway
Understudies:
Understudy
for: Ms Sharkey & Ms Stanway – Anna Rees
Understudy
for: Ms Blackman, Ms Hinton & Ms Gold - Joyce Rae
Later
Sister Mary Regina – Maxine Audley
Sister Robert Anne – Roni Page
Sister Mary Hubert - Pip Hinton
Sister Mary Amnesia - Louise Gold
Sister Mary Leo - Bronwen Stanway
Sister Mary Go-Fer – Anna Rees
Understudies:
Understudy
for: Ms Page & Ms Stanway – Anna Rees
Understudy
for: Ms Audley, Ms Hinton & Ms Gold - Joyce Rae
Production Team
Book, Music
& Lyrics - Dan Goggin
Original
Production(s) – 1984, The Duplex Nightspot, Greenwich Village, and, 12
December 1985, Off
Director - Richard
Digby Day
Choreographer
- Stephanie Carter
Musical
Director -
Designer - Lee
Dean
Lighting
Director - David Whitehead
Producer - Ian
Liston for Hiss & Boo Productions Ltd / Funny Habits
Stage
Manager – Paul Bennett
ASM – Pauline
Miller-Judd and Anna Rees
Naturally Ms Gold is also featured on the Original London Cast album of Nunsense, see Nunsense (recording)
About eleven and a half years earlier Richard Digby
Day had directed Louise Gold in Joseph And The
Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (York Production)
Maxine Audley may have previously
appeared in Will-Aid
A dozen years later, Louise Gold returned to The
Fortune Theatre to star in 110 In The Shade,
and a further seven years later in a gala called Happily Ever
After.
Nunsense is not the only religious musical to have
had one of it’s major original American productions at The Cherry Lane
Theatre, Godspell premiered there, before it’s
Broadway premier at the Broadhurst Theatre, where the original
production of 110 In The Shade premiered.
It is perhaps worth noting that The Fortune Theatre
had (or possibly has) public right of way running through the auditorium and
across the stage.
Maxine Audley has had a long acting career notable ion both
professional and amateur circles. The latter includes appearing at Unity Theatre during WWII, so it is quite likely that
she may have crossed paths with Louise
Gold’s mother (who was after all one of that theatre group’s leading lights
at that time).
One of Louise Gold’s two outstanding solos in
the show involved her singing a spoof Country And Western song, I
Could’ve Gone To Nashville, co-incidentally, seven years later she was
awarded The Freedom Of The City Of Memphis Tennessee, see Noel/Cole: Let’s Do It.
Louise
Gold had previously appeared on stage in a play that also
commented on Catholicism, namely Once A
Catholic. She has gone on to appear another musical that commented on the matter,
namely Next Door’s Baby.
Fifteen years after puppeteering Sister Marionette in Nunsense,
at long last actress-cum-puppeteer Louise Gold once again combined
Musicals and puppetry in her own cabaret act LOUISE GOLD ... By Appointment.
Many of the audience and critics at Nunsense
seem to have been impressed by Louise Gold’s skill as a puppeteer,
although I’m not sure if Robin Ray appreciated that the actress-cum-puppeteer
might welcome an opportunity to combine both strands of her performing
career.
Critics Comments
"The one compensation was a performance by Louise
Gold, who deserved far, far better." Mary Harron, OBSERVER, 29
March 1987
"Best is a duet between Sister Amnesia and a
gravel-voiced puppet called Sister Marianette" Jim Hiley, THE
LISTENER, 2 April 1987
"Louise Gold - is a showstopper" Rosalie
Horner, DAILY EXPRESS, 24 March 1987
"Some nice chirpy performers including Louise Gold
and Honor Blackman are in it-presumably for their sins." Kenneth
Hurren, MAIL ON SUNDAY, 29 March 1987
"Louise Gold - belts out 'I could've gone to
“The surviving nuns
stage a benefit to raise the necessary cash. They try their hand at
ventriloquism, and impressions, do bits of ballet, sing dreadful songs, tell
awful jokes, and wallop out a spot of tap – in fact anything the gullible cast
can be cajoled or bullied into attempting.” Robin Ray, PUNCH, 8 April
1987
"Louise Gold is almost unforgettable as Sister
Mary Amnesia." Mark Sanderson, TIME OUT, 1 April 1987
“Louise Gold has a few
golden moments as Sister Amnesia, but the show is mostly forgettable” Mark
Shenton, PLAYS INTERNATIONAL, May 1987
“Apart from the admirable
Sisters Blackman and Hinton, Sisters Anna Sharkey, Louise Gold and Bronwen
Stanway enter vivaciously into the silly simple-hearted spirit of an
immaculately misconceived exercise in not so much bad as botched taste.” Eric
Shorter, DAILY TELEGRAPH, 23 March 1987.
“Louise Gold, as a nun
who lost her memory and took Holy Orders when a crucifix fell on her head,
recovers well when she discovers she was once a country and western singer.” Milton
Shulman,
"Louise Gold's duet with a nun puppet deservedly
stops the show - although sadly not permanently" Mark Steyn, THE
INDEPENDENT, 25 March 1987
“The Fortune could
prove a reassuring memory of home for American tourists this summer, and they
will particularly admire the performance of Louise Gold as Sister Mary Amnesia
which brings to the show an air of detached bemusement which suits it so well.”
Anthony Thorncroft, PLAYS AND PLAYERS, May 1987
"My admiration for each of the five leading ladies
doing this penance is unswerving. Each has a moment of individual glory up
there on the stage - Miss Louise Gold with a wayward puppet and elusive
memory." Jack Tinker, DAILY MAIL,24 March 1987
Links about Nunsense (Stage Production)
Muppet Central/Tibby's Bowl Interview with Louise Gold http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/gold.shtml
Hiss And Boo Theatre Company: http://www.hissboo.co.uk/index.shtml
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