'NUNSENSE II': MASS APPEAL (THEATER REVIEW)

You don't have to be Catholic to appreciate that anything funny seems doubly funny if the person saying or doing it is wearing a nun's habit. Given the starchy stereotype, a line of nuns in bloomers dancing a cancan is sure to provoke laughter in those who aren't offended.

The Little Sisters of Hoboken return tonight to present the sequel to their musical revue "Nunsense." If it is not as fresh as the original and relies a bit more on the ribald, "Nunsense II" offers much the same irreverence and musical humor -- to the extent of recycling some of the songs with new lyrics.

And choreographer Raina Childers has the nuns shimmying and shaking across the stage ala the Rockettes and a Motown revue.

The River City Players production will be presented at the River City Yacht Club above the Port Cape Girardeau Restaurant. Doors to the dinner shows open at 6 p.m., with dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the show beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Dinner shows continue Saturday and Aug. 25-26. A no-dinner show will be presented at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The cast of "Nunsense II" was assembled in part via Southwestern Bell. Director Ann Swanson phoned Elizabeth Michel, who had sung with her in the Choral Union, to ask her to try out for the role of Reverend Mother. Michel had never acted before but could sing and, she says with a disconcerted smile, "They were looking for someone a little bit older."

Assistant director LeAnne W. Statler also called a neophyte actress she knew. Danetta Held won the role of space-case Sister Amnesia.

Jessica Hency was home from college and saw an audition notice in the newspaper. Jill Smirl and Bethani Vandeven just wanted to get back on the stage after acting in high school.

When Swanson and the River City Players staged the original version of "Nunsense" two years ago at the Cape Girardeau Country Club, the cast had more experience. But "Nunsense II" brims with talent and enthusiasm.

Only two years out of Notre Dame High School and now studying musical theater at New York University, Hency nonetheless is the seasoned veteran on the stage. Gifted with a Broadway voice and hey-look-me-over stage presence, Hency's talent makes Sister Leo's yearning to become a prima ballerina all-the-more believable.

Smirl, whose last stage experience was the lead in the Cape Central production of "Fiddler on the Roof" in the mid-'80s, brings natural chutzpah to the role of the starstruck Sister Robert Anne. Her sashay about the stage on "I've Got Pizzaz" is a real crowd pleaser.

Sister Robert Anne also provides some "habit humor," using the costume to impersonate H. Ross Perot and Leonardo Da Vinci among others.

Wearing red cowboy boots, the quick-witted Held has to hold herself in check to play the anesthetized Sister Amnesia.

Her sweet voice shines on "No One Cared Like You," sung to the sisters who took her in when she developed amnesia. You wouldn't guess her singing experience is limited to the shower and Karaoke bars.

She also has funny *moments with Sister Mary Annette, a puppet who is her alter ego,

As the Reverend Mother, a former circus performer, Michel croons and dances heroically while trying to keep the independent-thinking sisters in check.

Vandeven, a Chaffee resident who appeared in a number of Notre Dame High School musicals, plays the Reverend Mother's assistant and competitor, Sister Hubert.

With Michel, she sings "What Would Elvis Do?" a rousing rock 'n' roll attempt to seek guidance from the King.

Vandeven's trio with Sisters Amnesia and Leo on "The Padre Polka" is another highlight of the show.

Swanson and Statler ably provide the musical accompaniment on keyboards.

The set is by Charlie Kent, Jeff Quigley and Tim Roth.