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 -
Stage Manager –
ASM –
Naturally Ms
Gold is also featured on the Original London
Cast album of Nunsense, see Nunsense
(recording)
The then cast
members Maxine Audley, Louise Gold, Pip Hinton, Anna Rees,
and Bronwen Stanway may have
represented the show by taking part in Thing A Thon
.
This
production of Nunsense received the 1986 Outer
Critic’s Circle Award for ‘Best
Musical’.
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, and two years after that
in Flaunt It 2008.
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 in 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.
Honour Blackman appeared on television in the documentary ITV’s 50 Greatest Shows.
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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