Witch-hunts and religious faith collide in this outstandingly funny, riotous romp through the lives of medieval nuns.
Following complaints about boring historical lectures, three women turn it up a notch to deep-dive, with exceptional pizzazz, into the Middle Ages and, in particular, the life of Sister Gertrude, a nun losing belief in her devotion and who finds herself soon on a witch-hunting quest. While the premise sounds simple enough, what follows is an outstanding display of rapid-fire verbal comedy and supremely funny physical humour in this sharply impressive Fringe gem, and a remarkably polished and creative new work.
Although only performed by a trio, the energy and creativity of Hebe Bartlett, Lili Herbert and Hannah Rogerson shine in this charming yet chaotic piece which is full of intelligent comedy, clearly underpinned by research of the era but presented in a slick and highly entertaining manner.
Rogerson’s Sister Gertrude is frantic and anarchic, from spraying audience members suspected of being the devil with holy water to an outrageous dance fantasy with a provocative monk. Rogerson does a terrific job here of bringing the comedy to life without punching down on nuns and the sisterhood either. It is silly and goofy, but good-natured too, which helps the humour to stick.
Alongside Rogerson, Bartlett is terrific as mysterious witch-hunter Yarrow, as well as a roller-blading monk, while an energetic Herbert shines in threading the chaos together, multi-rolling throughout, though Herbert’s depiction of sleazy, evangelical Bishop Carmichael is a treat.
The trio prove themselves to be deft comedic and musical theatre performers, with the piece constantly proving inventive in its delivery. The presentation of three mysterious trolls is hysterical, while goofy physical gags, such as the flaming torch threatening to burn suspected witches, are masterfully done and also representative of the heart and effort which has gone into the work, directed by Zachary Hunt. Meanwhile, the music is slick and well-incorporated, with breakout moments of choreography well-timed and well-blended with the onstage madness.
The line ‘Where are the good girls at’ lingers over the piece at one point, reflecting how amid all the brilliant comedy here, the show recognises the true horrors for women during this period, especially those accused of being witches. While ‘good girls’ are seemingly hard to find in this show, what Nuns! provides is three of the funniest women you will see at the Fringe this year.
