MACON—Two-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner Sally Struthers stars in the 25th anniversary tour of “Nunsense” coming to Macon for two shows at The Grand Opera House, a performing arts center of Mercer University, Tuesday-Wednesday, Nov. 18-19. Performances of the internationally acclaimed musical comedy are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tickets range $43-$47 and can be purchased through Mercer Ticket Sales at (478) 301-5470 or online at TheGrandMacon.com.
The 25th anniversary production celebrates the original presentation of this delightfully wacky show created and directed by Dan Goggin. “With the addition of Sally Struthers, her wonderful talent and knack for musical comedy, this tour will enchant as we present the production for a new generation to discover,” said Goggin.
“Nunsense” begins as the Little Sisters of Hoboken discover that their cook, Sister Julia, Child of God, has accidentally poisoned 52 fellow sisters, and they are in dire need of funds for the burials. The sisters decide that the best way to raise the money is to put on a variety show. They take over the school auditorium, which is set up for the eighth grade production of “Grease.” Here we meet Reverend Mother Regina, a former circus performer; Sister Mary Hubert, the Mistress of Novices; a streetwise nun from Brooklyn named Sister Robert Anne, Sister Mary Leo, a novice who is a wannabe ballerina; and Sister Mary Amnesia, the nun who lost her memory when a crucifix fell on her head.
Featuring star turns, tap and ballet dancing, an audience quiz and comic surprises, “Nunsense” boasts more than 5000 productions worldwide in more than 21 different languages. “USA Today” calls it “a hit of the first order,” and “The New York Times” says “a hail of fun and frolic.”
Since the original success of this musical comedy, which ran in New York for more than five years, Goggin has written a number of sequels, including “Nunsense Jamboree,” “Nuncrackers,” a funny parody on the Nutcracker ballet, and “Nunsensations: The Nunsense Las Vegas Review,” among others.
Sally Struthers is a two-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner for her performance in the groundbreaking television series “All in the Family.” She starred in the Fox television series “9 to 5” and her own CBS series “Gloria.” Her recurring roles include the CBS comedy “Still Standing” and the CW’s highly acclaimed “Gilmore Girls.”
Struthers was “heard” as the voice of the teenage dinosaur Charlene Sinclair in the ABC prime-time series “Dinosaurs.” She is also the voice of Pebbles Flintstone on the “Pebbles and Bam-Bam” cartoon series and the lead female character on the popular Disney cartoon “Tailspin.”
Struthers’ television movies include: “A Gun in the House,” “And Your Name is Jonah,” “The Great Houdinis,” “Hey, I’m Alive,” “In the Best Interest of the Children,” “Deadly Silence,” “My Husband is Missing,” and “Intimate Strangers.”
Struthers co-starred in two legendary motion pictures in the 1970s: “Five Easy Pieces” with Jack Nicholson and “The Getaway” with Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw. She was featured in two independent films: “Out of the Black” and “A Month of Sundays” with Rod Steiger. Struthers made a cameo appearance for actor/writer/producer Mario Van Peebles in the Sony feature “Baadassss!”
Her first two Broadway forays were in “Wally’s Café” with Rita Moreno and Jimmy Coco and in Neil Simon’s female version of “The Odd Couple” with Brenda Vaccaro. For three years she starred as Miss Mamie Lynch on Broadway and on tour in the Tommy Tune production of “Grease.” In the 20th anniversary national tour of “Annie,” Struthers played the coveted role of Miss Hannigan.
Struthers was named Best Actress by the Los Angeles Artistic Director Theatre Awards for her role as Louise Seger in the musical “Always, Patsy Cline,” a true story based on the relationship between Seger and Cline. She also won the 2003 Ovation Award as Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Agnes Gooch in the Los Angeles production of “Mame.” She has starred in regional productions of “Hello Dolly,” “Anything Goes,” “The Fifth of July,” “Cat On a Hot Tin Roof” and “The Full Monty.”
For thirty years, Struthers has worked tirelessly to help hungry and uneducated children everywhere. She has visited these children in the United States and many third world countries, and has filmed numerous public service announcements and documentaries on their behalf. Because of her devotion to children and animals, Struthers has received numerous humanitarian awards.
Tickets for the Macon performances of “Nunsense,” starring Sally Struthers, are available now through Mercer Ticket Sales at (478) 301-5470, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., or online anytime at TheGrandMacon.com. “Nunsense” is the second of seven shows in The Grand’s 2008-2009 Broadway Series that runs from October to May.
The Grand Opera House, a performing arts center of Mercer University, is a historical 1,000-seat theater located in downtown Macon, Ga. The Grand brings the very best in live, professional performing arts and entertainment to central Georgia. In addition to its popular “Broadway Series” of nationally touring productions and its “GrandKids Arts Education Series” for thousands of elementary, middle and high school students, The Grand hosts a variety of special events throughout the year. It is also home to the Macon Symphony Orchestra and The Nutcracker of Middle Georgia. For a complete schedule of upcoming performances, contact Mercer Ticket Sales at (478) 301-5470 or visit TheGrandMacon.com.
