Happy New Year, Natchez and the Miss-Lou.

Natchez Little Theatre, Mississippi’s oldest community theater and a charitable non-profit volunteer organization, is ready to begin its 83rd year and your new year with a hysterically funny campy murder mystery, “And Then There Was…Nun.” Written by Bruce W. Gilray and Richard T. Witter in the style of a classic 1940s murder mystery, “And Then There Was…Nun” is a blend of humor and who-dun-it as the actors emulate iconic movie stars of the past.

This parody of Agatha Christie’s “Ten Little Indians,” later renamed “And Then There Were None” for political correctness, finds a gaggle of 10 iconic Golden Age stars-turned-nuns attending a weekend retreat in a foreboding mansion on a secluded island retreat where death stalks them one by one.

The Holy Order of the Sisters of San Andreas consists of the sharpest tongues this side of Hollywood and Vine: Sister Gloria Swanson (Yvonne Murray), Sister Tallulah Bankhead (Katharine Parrish), Sister Marilyn Monroe (Olivia Bridewell), Sister Judy Garland (Arden McMillin), Sister Vivien Leigh (Susannah Byrne Heatherly), Sister Hattie McDaniel (Sara Davis), Sister Mae West (Andrea Cater), Sister Joan Crawford (Rusty Jenkins), Sister Bette Davis (Karlyn Ritchie), Sister Katharine Hepburn (Courtney Taylor), Sister Alfred Hitchcock (Bo Allen) and the Wicked Witch (Layne Taylor).

Stir in the unseen and mysterious leader, Mother Paramount, then infuse with a healthy dose of some of the most famous lines in cinema (slightly warped).  Roast well in a preheated treasure trove of movie facts, trivia, legends and gossip for two acts, sit back and savor.

“And Then There Was…Nun” is a treat for movie buffs and non-movie buffs alike and the cast might not all be what they appear to be.

I have never enjoyed or laughed so hard directing a play as much as “And Then There Was…Nun.” The cast is incredible in portraying these iconic Hollywood divas. My assistant director is Thomas Williams, who has done a brilliant job with the numerous sound effects and assisting Layne Taylor with the lighting.

I am very proud of my sets and again this cast has transformed into these remarkably unstable stars. You will die laughing.

So fasten your seat belts because it’s going to be a bumpy ride at Natchez Little Theatre Jan. 21 – 25.

Opening Night is Thursday, Jan. 22, and the show will continue its run Friday and Saturday evenings, at 7:30 p.m., closing at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25. Tickets are $15 for non-members of Natchez Little Theatre. A benefit/preview performance will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21, with all proceeds going toward NLT’s catch, neuter and release feral cat fund and all tickets are $12 each.
For reservations, call Natchez Little Theatre at 319 Linton Ave. at Maple Street at 601-442-2233 or toll free at 1-877-440-2233 or via email at NatchezLT@cableone.net.

You can also purchase your tickets in advance at natcheztheatre.org and avoid the box office lines.

The costumes, hair styles, hundreds of props and the transformations this talented cast go through bring these beloved stars back to life on stage here in Natchez.

For the best cure to your post-holiday blues, NLT has that cure…”And Then There Was…Nun,” and we are ready for our close up, Mr. DeMille.  Don’t miss it.

 

Don Vesterse is the technical director and general manager of the Natchez Little Theatre and director of “And Then There Was…Nun.”