Sister Sister Sister

Note: This review also appears on Losanjealous.com

Sister's Christmas Catechism
By Maripat Donovan
Brentwood Theatre
Dec. 5 - 17
Tickets: $40
Runtime: approx. two hours

Jesus. I'm lost.

Where the hell is the Brentwood Theatre? (And where do they get off with the snotty British spelling of "theater" anyhow?) Allegedly at the corner of Wilshire and San Vincente, the theater is more accurately at the corner of Random Building and Raised Parking Lot in the far west corner of the Westside VA complex.

Once found - via the usual incantation of curse words coupled with random wandering - the venue underwhelms. It has the feel of a pricey private school theater (think Harvard Westlake), which is, well, perfect, since the one-nun show is set in a parochial classroom.

As in the other two Sister's Catechism plays, we, the audience, are the students. The lights are left on - quite disquieting to a generation that prefers its entertainment in darkened rooms - and immodest dress and poor posture is frowned upon.

Though it drags toward the end, the show is funny, weirdly educational, and, in a word, brilliant. It also is the first show I've seen commencing with Star-Spangled Banner sung by a homeless group.

Scolding latecomers, praising the largely Jewish audience for their knowledge of obscure Catholic saints, and doling out Vatican II wisdom with a side of sharp wit, Maripat Donovan (Sister) almost makes you want to go to church again. Well, almost.