2nd Story’s ‘Catholic School Girls’ combines humor and poignancy

By Don Fowler
Posted 4/14/16

On the surface, Casey Kurtti’s “Catholic School Girls” looks like a silly satire of life at a parochial school. But underneath, there is poignancy, even a bit of mean-spiritedness, creeping …

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2nd Story’s ‘Catholic School Girls’ combines humor and poignancy

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On the surface, Casey Kurtti’s “Catholic School Girls” looks like a silly satire of life at a parochial school. But underneath, there is poignancy, even a bit of mean-spiritedness, creeping through the stories of four young ladies as they make their way from 1st through 8th grade at St. George’s back in the ’60s.

Set in the intimate downstairs theatre, the students sit in school desks facing the audience. Each has their turn at playing one of the teaching nuns, standing on a pedestal behind them, as they look out at the audience.

Audience members will have diverse reactions to the play, depending on where they are coming from. Those who attended Catholic school will have their own memories revived, while non-Catholics will get a peek into what their friends experienced.

Kurtti includes the usual clichés and stereotypes to provide many laughs, but he also goes for some of the darker moments in the lives of young women who eventually question the teachings of the nuns and face the challenges of puberty.

Director Shea keeps the hour and a half play moving as students become nuns and advance in grades to that important moment when they find out if they have been accepted to the Catholic High School.

Each girl has a different personality and family background. Wanda (Ashley Hunter Kenner) is the teacher’s pet. Elizabeth (Valerie Westgate) is the questioning student who gets in trouble all the time, especially when she unsuccessfully tries to convince her teacher that Jesus was a Jew. Maria (Lara Hakeem) is the shy one who brings the baggage of an abusive father to the classroom. Colleen (Erin Olson) is more aggressive, but gains our sympathy in telling her story of her first period and how she was humiliated by the nuns.

All four actresses work well together, moving back and forth from student to teacher, thanks to some tight direction from Ed Shea. I just wish that they would slow down at times.

“Catholic School Girls” is at Warren’s 2nd Story Theatre through April 24. Tickets are $30. Call 247-4200 for tickets.

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