Chanhassen Dinner Theatres brings its audiences a zany, all-new, never-seen anywhere-before-now Nunsense production; it's the World Premiere of NUNSET BOULEVARD the NUNSENSE HOLLYWOOD BOWL SHOW opening to previews on Chanhassen's Fireside stage from November 6 through 18. The grand opening takes place Thursday, November 19th and the show will enjoy an extended run.
Dan Goggin, Nunsense creator and playwright has written a brand new adventure for his beloved Little Sisters of Hoboken. This time they've been invited to showcase their unique talents in a star-studded salute to Hollywood at the famed Hollywood Bowl -- or so they think! They arrive and find they've been "thrown a hook" and are really scheduled to appear on stage at the Hollywood Bowl-a-Rama -- a bowling alley with a cabaret lounge. But hope is on the horizon when the Sisters find out that a big Hollywood producer is holding auditions in a studio across the street. There's music, there's dancing, there's comedy, there's chaos...and, of course, there's rib-tickling audience participation. The Sisters are looking to get their big break in "tinseltown," but is that really their true calling?
While NUNSET BOULEVARD is the seventh installment (Nunsense, Nunsense II, Nunsense Jamboree, Nuncrackers, Meshuggah-Nuns!, Nunsensations, Nunset Boulevard )in Goggin's hugely popular series, he adamantly reports this will be the final chapter chronicling his delightfully daffy Little Sisters of Hoboken. Most of Goggin's characters remain the same from one Nunsense production to the next, yet each story is unique. Audiences need not have seen any previous productions to enjoy NUNSET BOULEVARD - each story stands on its own merit.
Goggin is currently in rehearsals at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres to direct the world premiere production. He arrived with his New York creative team and cast on Monday, October 19th. Ms. Teri Gibson serves as choreographer and Leo Carusone is musical director/arranger and orchestrator who collaborates with Goggin. Several members of Chanhassen's creative staff is also actively working on the project. They include: Rich Hamson, Sue Ellen Berger, Susan Magnuson, Russ Haynes, Logan Jambik and Kyle Clausen.
Of notable local interest, is the fact that Goggin has, once again selected Chanhassen Dinner Theatres as the location to World Premiere all of his shows except for the original Nunsense (which has its world premiere in NY). Goggin was introduced to Chanhassen through Theatre Associates at the Ordway when Chanhassen co-produced Nunsense II. It was at that time when Goggin visited Chanhassen and was amazed with its resident creative team and the handy, on-site costume, and scenic departments. As one might imagine, these facilities are rarely all on site in on location in New York where space is at a minimum and costs are exorbitant. As Goggin emphasized, "When you're mounting a brand-new production, it's a luxury to have everything, along with your cast and working creative team members at your side through the entire process. In New York everything is farmed out here and there and it's astronomically expensive. It's also terribly inconvenient when a costume or set piece doesn't work and the person who made it is located in another part of the city unavailable to make the necessary corrections. Here at Chanhassen, everything is in place and it helps the entire process move along smoothly."
Goggin is also very taken with Minnesota audiences, who are discriminating. Goggin stated, "We love the Minnesota audiences, they know what's funny and what's not." He continued, "A world premiere is a work-in-progress. This will be the very first time the show will be performed anywhere in the world, so the first two or three weeks we'll be making changes to the script to make the pacing perfect for the audience. Midwesterners have a great sense of values and provide an extremely reliable gauge for us. We know we'll get an honest reaction and that's how we plan to perfect the production." Once that process is completed, the play will be made available to other theatres.
Goggin's Nunsense idea began as a unique greeting card line featuring nuns and humorous captions. From here, and over the course of 25 years, it has grown into an artistic empire with 8,000 productions, translated into 26 languages worldwide. His Nunsense plays, have brought laughter and joy into the lives of millions of theatergoers around the globe.
For tickets and information, call Chanhassen Dinner Theatres at 952-934-1525 or toll-free at 800-362-3515, or go online to ChanhassenDT.com. For groups of 15 or more, contact Group Sales at 952-934-1547.
