Sister Mary Ignatius explains it all for you ; and, The actor's nightmare

two plays

62 pages

English language

Published 1982 by Dramatists Play Service.

OCLC Number:
32948267

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4 stars (1 review)

Actor's nightmare: An accountant named George Spelvin is mistaken for an actor's understudy and is forced to perform in a play for which he doesn't know any of the lines --From publisher's description.

Sister Mary Ignatius explains it all for you: This play evolves around a nun, Sister Mary Ignatius, explaining to the audience the basic tenets of Catholicism. She is assisted by her favorite student, seven-year-old Thomas. From time to time, she asks him catechism questions and gives him a cookie for every right answer. Half-way into her speech, some of her former students, now grown up, enter to perform a mock Christmas pageant from their childhood days and reveal to Sister Mary the deep psychological trauma her teachings left on them. Sister Mary's unwavering dogma combined with the absurdist nature of the play add elements of biting comedy. --From publisher's description.

4 editions

Hilarious for Catholic-school veterans of a certain age

4 stars

Very much as I remember the two plays from seeing them on stage in the '80s. I do wonder how much of the humor in Sr Mary Ignatius would work for someone who was not raised Catholic or who was much younger than Durang (or me). The 1995 edition includes performance/directing/casting notes from the playwright that are extremely interesting in their own right.