Saturday’s audiences received fair warning but Sister still
managed to nab and chastise the unwary few, likely “publics,” who
were tardy, chewing gum or wearing immodest clothing.
In his welcome, Jim Guelfi, president of the Bradford Creative
and Performing Arts Center, warned audiences in the Bromeley Family
Theater at the University of Pittsburgh to be on their best
behavior for “Sister’s Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the
Magi’s Gold.” Yet Sister even challenged Guelfi a few minutes later
as he briefly left his seat and reminded him to wash his hands.
During two performances on Saturday, petite actress Diana Carl
kept the house rocking with laughter as she interacted with
audience members during their stint as students in her catechism
class, as written by Maripat Donovan with Jane Morris and Marc
Silva.
Students from the School Street Elementary School Fifth Grade
Chorus opened the shows with a verse each from four Christmas
carols, ending with “Jingle Bells” which, when she entered, Sister
amended to include riding “with Baby Jesus in a one-horse open
sleigh – hey!”
Through the first act, Sister gave her own special versions of
saints’ biographies and the histories of various things Christmas;
each person with a correct answer received a Christmas-themed
trinket even Sister called “cheesy” but asked what else could a nun
could afford to buy?
Following intermission, audience members found themselves
becoming a live Nativity on stage, dressed in lampshades, blender
cozies, drapes, sheets and bathrobes – all items from the latest
charity collection in Sister’s church. With the reappearance of the
chorus directed and accompanied by pianist Michael Grady, the
Christmas story was re-enacted with appropriate music from five
more carols.
With the aid of Sister’s crime-solving “MOP” hypothesis (Motive,
Opportunity and Proximity) the audience determined that the Little
Drummer Boy stole the Magi’s gold.
How the Little Drummer Boy ended up at Christ’s birth was
another Yule treat from Sister’s bag of tricks, heart of a show
that ended with the audience singing her version of “Jingle Bells”
and each receiving a candy cane (white for Jesus’ purity, red for
the blood of the martyrs and Jesus’ initial “J” when turned upside
down.)
Northwest Savings Bank was a presenting sponsor in this latest
BCPAC offering.
