The uproaringly funny ‘Late Nite Catechism’ returned to the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre this month for four unconventional but hilarious catechism classes. ‘Late Nite Catechism’ is an interactive play about a fictitious Catholic nun where the nun is the only person on stage and the audience becomes the class. She takes the audience back to their youth as the irrepressible Sister teaches an adult catechism class. Proceeds went to benefit the Archdiocese San Antonio Chapter of the Retired Fund for the Religious which provides medication and nursing care to elderly sisters, brothers and priests.
Written by Vicki Quade and Maripat Donovan, ‘Late Nite Catechism’ is a one woman show and opens as the Sister (Kimberly Richards) welcomes her “students” for another round of catechism class. The first ones to feel her ire were the late comers. She singled them out individually and shamed them for having the gall to be late and fined them $1 each, funds which she said would go to a late-night dinner after the show. One of the female students was wearing a low-cut blouse so naturally, the Sister gave her a plastic bib to cover up during the entire show. Once class began, the topics covered were the saints whose sainthood was being reconsidered and the four different types of afterlife. She rewarded the students for correct answers with glow-in-the-dark rosaries, mini saint statues and laminated saint cards, which she said are laminated so they do not get soaked with the students’ tears. There were question and answer moments where the students shared their past experiences in Catholic school. On their way out, the audience was encouraged to drop a donation in the collection buckets.
On opening night, the audience was overwhelmingly former Catholic school students who no doubt related to most of what was being discussed. They got to relive, sometimes not too fondly, their school experience while the rest got a glimpse of the ups and downs of Catholic school. The show has the feel of an improv routine because since each audience is different, they give the Sister some of the interactive material for the night and is bound to vary with each show. With a classroom setting that includes a collage of U.S. Presidents that had Obama’s picture as the biggest one and in the middle, there was one tense moment when one of the students questioned why that was, to which the Sister plainly responded “because he is a President”…obviously. Overall, the atmosphere was relaxed but some students had already had too much to drink and were slightly belligerent but Ms. Richards held her composure. Sometimes she would just crack up laughing at her own jokes. ‘Late Nite Catechism’ is bound to strike a resonant chord with anyone who survived Catholic school with nuns as teachers and those who did not will just enjoy the fun moments while being glad they were spared.
