ACT I

The Time: Christmas Eve. The place: New York City-an East Village industrial loft. Mark, a young filmmaker, sets up his camera. His roommate Roger, a songwriter and ex junkie, struggles to pick out a song on his electric guitar. Mark trains the camera on Roger, taunting him a bout his songwriter's block.
The phone rings: On the answering machine, Mark's mother leaves her son a consoling, motherly message. Mark, who has just lost his girlfriend, Maureen, to another woman, screens the call. The phone rings again: Collins, an old friend, is at a pay phone downstairs. Mark picks up, but the call is cut short - Collins is being mugged. The phone rings once more. Again Mark and Roger pick up, hoping it is Collins, only to find Benny, their wealthy former roommate turned landlord, on the line instead, demanding the rent. As if things couldn't get any worse, the electrical power blows.

Outside, a badly beaten Collins is discovered by Angel, a street musician, who offers bandages, comfort, and an invitation for a night on the town. Their instant attraction becomes a bond with the realisation that both are HIV-Positive.

In the loft, Mark also urges Roger to come out for the evening, but Roger refuses. Left alone, he stoically takes his AZT and dreams of writing one last song to redeem his empty life. He is interrupted by a beautiful stranger from downstairs, Mimi. Mimi needs a match, her electricity is down too. She and Roger are instantly drawn to each other, but Roger resists. Mimi, he recognises, is a junkie.

Elsewhere, Maureen and Joanne's answering machine receives a message from Joanne's parents, but she is not home to hear it.

At last, Mark returns with Collins, who brings provisions and, better yet, funds in the person of Angel, now decked out in glorious drag. Angel explains how he has earned a fast $1,000 which he is eager to share. Benny barges in with a deal: If Mark and Roger will stop Maureen's performance tonight protesting the clearing of a tent city from Benny 's adjacent vacant lot, Benny will forgive Mark and Roger's back rent. Once Benny is gone, Mark, Angel and Collins head out for the evening, leaving Roger alone again.

In the lot, Mark gathers his courage to meet the formidable Joanne, Maureen's new lover, who has also usurped Mark's stage manager duties. When Joanne reluctantly accepts Mark's technical assistance, the two quickly find common ground in their shared experiences of the self-centred, unfaithful albeit irresistible Maureen.

Angel and Collins attend an AIDS Support meeting; Mark arrives to document it on film. The group affirms its determination to live without fear; "no day but today". Meanwhile, in her apartment, Mimi is dressing to kill. Turning up again on Roper's doorstep, she implores him to take her out. Roger is tempted, but his fear ultimately compels him to push Mimi away. Simultaneously, a young support group member quietly asks, "Will I lose my dignity... Will someone care?" His questions are echoed by each member of the community, including Roger, who decides finally to leave his loft room in search of answers.

In the lot, Mark, Angel and Collins rescue a homeless woman from police harassment. The woman, however, is hardly grateful. Mark, Angel and Collins fantasise about leaving New York behind to live the good life, far away. Mark goes to check on Roger, leaving Angel and Collins alone to declare their new-found love. {mmp3}angular2.swf|rent2.mp3{/mmp3} (Santa Fe)

Joanne dials Maureen from a payphone, simultaneously juggling two other calls on her mobile phone. In St. Mark's Place, the homeless, sidewalk vendors, junkies, drug dealers, and cops comprise a human mosaic. Angel buys Collins an overcoat, Mark meets up with Roger, and Mimi hunts for a fix. Roger spots her, apologises for his behaviour in the loft, and invites her to dinner. She accepts.

Maureen arrives and presents her performance piece, a satirical protest that calls for a communal "leap of faith" against Benny's commercial development.

Afterward, everyone meets at the Life Café, where they hear a gloating Benny declare that Bohemia is dead. Mark and his fellow bohemians joyously reject Benny's pronouncement. Benny exits in anger, stopping only long enough to hound Mimi, who is, it would seem, a former lover. As her beeper sounds, Mimi pauses to take her AZT. Roger discovers that his secret and his illness are Mimi's also. Exhilarated and frightened, they resolve to assume the risk of romantic involvement as well. {mmp3}angular2.swf|rent3.mp3{/mmp3} (La Vie Boheme)

Joanne has several times been ordered back to the lot by Maureen. Fed up, she finally rebels, announcing that their relationship is over. She also informs everyone that a riot has broken out on Avenue A. Benny has padlocked Mark and Roger's building and called the police. The bohemians continue to celebrate. The riot continues to rage. Roger and Mimi share a small, lovely kiss.

ACT 2

In the wake of the riot, the community pauses to ask, "How do you measure the life of a woman or a man?" The unqualified answer- "measure in love".

New Year's Eve. Mark films a "breaking back into the building party". Mimi and Roger are there and in love. Maureen humbles herself to earn back Joanne's favour. The celebration is complete when Collins and Angel arrive with a blowtorch.

Once inside, Mark discovers a phone machine message left for him with a job offer from a tabloid television show hostess named Alexi Darling. Benny gate-crashes the party to apologise ostentatiously, offering the boys new keys to their old loft. Suspecting Benny's motives, Roger balks. Furious, Benny implies that Mimi helped change his mind by sleeping with him. Mimi angrily denies this, but the damage is done; Roger is bitterly jealous. Mimi is cornered outside by her dealer with a little something to assure her "happy new year."

Valentine's Day. Roger is living with Mimi, but remains terribly jealous, often threatening to leave. Angel and Collins survive together wherever they can. Mark still lives behind his camera. At their apartment, a warring Joanne and Maureen issue each other an ultimatum. Neither backs down-they split up once again.

Spring. Everyone feels the coming changes. The community asks: "How do you measure a last year on earth?". Roger walks out on Mimi, accusing her of being unfaithful with Benny. Alone, Mimi mourns the impending loss of love, while Collins nurses the increasingly ill Angel. The end of Spring brings reconciliation for Roger and Mimi, as well as Maureen and Joanne, but all is tentative at best.

Summer's end, and Alexi is still calling, enticing Mark with big money. Much love-making is witnessed, framed by attendant frustrations in the age of safe sex. By the autumn, Roger, Mimi, Joanne and Maureen are all on the outs again. Collins and Angel's separation, however, is profound and final. Angel has died. {mmp3}angular2.swf|rent4.mp3{/mmp3} (Goodbye Love)

At Angel's memorial each friend offers a loving tribute. Clutching the overcoat Angel gave him at Christmas, Collins reaffirms his undying love.

Outside the church, Mark phones Alexi and accepts her job offer, despondent at how drastically life has changed since that Christmas night just one year before. As the mourners exit the church, Mimi learns that Roger is leaving town for good. A nasty scene ensues, with arguments erupting between all the estranged lovers. Collins, in sorrow, begs them all to stop. Maureen and Joanne are moved to try once again to reconcile. Mimi and Benny leave together.

Mark tries to convince Roger to stay in New York and confront his pain, but Roger lashes out, accusing Mark of also remaining detached, hiding behind his camera. Mark wonders whether Roger is simply afraid to watch Mimi die. Mimi appears and lets Roger off the hook, insisting that she has just come to say goodbye. Roger leaves for Santa Fé and Mimi begs Mark for help. Benny turns up and offers to pay for Mimi's drug rehabilitation but she refuses and instead runs away. When Benny covers the cost of Angel's funeral, he and Collins warm to each other and head off to get drunk as Mark prepares for his meeting with Alexi.

Mark questions the choice he is about to make and the world in which he lives. His thoughts are echoed by Roger on his way to Santa Fé. They both remember the beauty of last Christmas Eve, when they felt connected, and their friends were a family. Roger begins to discover his song. Mark turns down the TV tabloid job to finish his film.

Roger, Mark, Mimi and Joanne's parents all wonder where their children are as the holidays approach.

Another Christmas Eve. Mark has pieced together a rough cut of his film, which he hopes to screen tonight. Roger has moved back into the loft and has finished his song. No-one has been able to find Mimi. The power blows again but the night is brightened by the arrival of Collins. Then Maureen and Joanne appear on the sidewalk below carrying a desperately ill Mimi.

Laid out in the loft, Mimi finally manages to tell Roger that she loves him. Begging her not to leave him, Roger sings his "one song" for her. "I have always loved you," Roger whispers, then cries out her name as Mimi slips away.

Moments later, however, she returns, with stories of a warm white light and Angel steering her back to life. Celebrating the wonder of life's terrible uncertainty, the community re-affirms love as the strongest force we know, acknowledging there is always, "No day but today."

Since I am a big Nunsense fan I decided to buy myself the 3rd DVD in the Nunsense-series. Picking up where the two previous Nunsense shows left off, NUNSENSE 3: The Jamboree finds Sister Amnesia (Emmy® winner Vicki Lawrence) on the road promoting her new country album, "I Could’ve Gone to Nashville". She is accompanied by some familiar faces along with two new characters: Father Virgil Manly Trott (aka Father Hollywood), a radio personality who happens to be Sister Mary Leo’s older brother and Sister Mary Wilhelm, the superintendent of nursing at Mount St. Helen’s. The big question – will Sister Amnesia be asked to perform at he pinnacle of country music stardom, the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville?

The Jamboree is filled with tongue-in-cheek parody, foot-stomping dances, heartfelt ballads and fast-paced comedy. Adding to the fun, Rue McClanahan (Nunsense, Nunsense II – The Sequel) returns as Mother Superior.

Unfortunatelly this cast is completelly different from the original cast. The creators should have stuck with the original cast, because that cast is far better in my opinion. The only person that 'returns' in this show is Sister Mary Regina (Rue McClanahan). Like Nunsense 1 and 2 this show is taped in the theater with live audience. The appearance of Rue seems very 'out of place' since it is filmed in her room in the convent.

If you are a real Nunsense fan, you should buy "Jamboree". But for me it was a real disappointment, compared with Nunsense 1 and 2. Ofcourse I will buy the next one too (Nuncrackers), just to add to my collection and I hope it will be much beter than this one.

Nunsense

Nunsense has also a couple of sequels. Nunsense 2, The Sequel, Nunsense 3, The Jamboree and Nuncrackers, The Nunsense Christmas musical. All with Rue as Mother Superior.
So far I only watched Nunsense and Nunsense 2, The Sequel and they are both very good.

The first act very cleverly entwines all the characters and tales and ends when all the different characters reaches the 'Happily Ever After' part each fairytale has. In fact when I saw the DVD i thought 'What a wonderfull musical, but it is a bit short....' Then act 2 began. The second act is a completelly different story. The lives of the characters goes on and they all have to face the consequences of actions taken in act 1. I won't spoil everything for you, so I don't go into detail about the story.

The DVD is actually taped in the theater. The cast is really wonderful. Bernadette Peters plays a very funny witch. Other famous castmembers are Chip Ziem (Baker), Joanna Gleason (his wife), Chuck Wagner (Rapunzel's prince) among many others. I think Bernadette steals the show with her performance. Besides being very funny she also moves your heart while singing 'Children will listen'.{mmp3}angular2.swf|into4.mp3{/mmp3} There are many hilarious moments in this play. For instance when the 3 evil sisters of Cinderella are getting ready for the ball or when the two princes sing 'Agony' {mmp3}angular2.swf|into3.mp3{/mmp3}or when Little Red Ridinghood is talking with the wolf.{mmp3}angular2.swf|into2.mp3{/mmp3} And what amazes me everytime is how did they do the transformation from witch to beautifull girl in only a couple of seconds ?

This DVD is worth every penny of it, because I am sure that you will watch it over and over and over again, like i did.

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