"Divine Sister" Responds to Catholic Upset Over Nun Portrayal

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"New York’s Archbishop Dolan has taken issue with the off-Broadway production of the DIVINE SISTER, or more specifically, the New York Time’s response to the production by running a questionable production photo which, he feels “offends Catholic sensitivity” by “making fun of Catholic consecrated women.”

Today, the producers of THE DIVINE SISTER have stepped into the fray, issuing the following response: "Charles Busch is a wonderfully talented playwright who for decades has lovingly parodied classic Hollywood films in his work. His newest play, THE DIVINE SISTER, continues that tradition as a comic homage to nearly every Hollywood film involving nuns: The Song of Bernadette, The Bells of St. Mary’s, The Singing Nun and Agnes of God.

The image the New York Times ran on Friday, October 15, 2010 of THE DIVINE SISTER shows Mother Superior teaching Timothy how to properly hold a baseball bat. This scene references the classic 1945 film The Bells of St. Mary’s where Ingrid Bergman as Sister Mary Benedict gives a young boy boxing lessons.THE DIVINE SISTER is not a commentary on religious faith; it is a joyous look at these films. While our show is indeed irreverent, it is a celebration of the nuns in those iconic works, with a wink and a smile."

broadwayworld.com/article/DIVINE_SISTER_Repsonds_to_Catholic_Upset_Over_Nun_Portrayal_20101022#ixzz137xRs1lf
 
In matters of faith, I certainly would follow Archbishop Dolan over Charles Busch.
 
tabbey48 said:
In matters of faith, I certainly would follow Archbishop Dolan over Charles Busch.
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Which one has a sense of humor?

"Dolan slammed the Times’ separate review of the “fresh and funny” play “The Divine Sister,” in the East Village.

He accused the paper of promoting “cheap laughs at the expense of a bigoted view of the most noble women around.”

“These are nuns, mocked and held up for snickering,” the archbishop wrote."

nypost.com/p/news/local/dolan_gives_times_hell_3G2FTb4lBeSzMtfjzZVZ0N#ixzz13FI8XcbC

Did he ever see the play “Nunsense”?
 
The play producers’ “defence” concludes:
THE DIVINE SISTER tells the story of St. Veronica’s indomitable Mother Superior (played by Charles Busch). Come join this madcap trip through Tinseltown religiosity from the creator of Die Mommie Die, Psycho Beach Party and Vampire Lesbians of Sodom.
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Shot themselves right in the foot.
 
Petergee said:
The play producers’ “defence” concludes:
Shot themselves right in the foot.
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I think you are taking a major leap here. You are citing some evidence as conclusory.

What about the play is anti-Catholic? That’s the issue – not some other play.
 
I thought Nunsense was hilarious, and I love Bells of St. Mary’s. I wonder if Archbishop Dolan has something in particular he objects to, but I’d still bow my head to the bishop. I respect the man for standing up for HMC (in particular to the Times), and perhaps he feels that in the current times it is prudent to object to things that in other times we may have just shrugged or laughed off.
 
Rawb said:
I thought Nunsense was hilarious, and I love Bells of St. Mary’s. I wonder if Archbishop Dolan has something in particular he objects to, but I’d still bow my head to the bishop. I respect the man for standing up for HMC (in particular to the Times), and perhaps he feels that in the current times it is prudent to object to things that in other times we may have just shrugged or laughed off.
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So when does bias come in to all this?
 
Rawb said:
Who’s? Everyone is biased towards something, to pretend otherwise is naive. The writer, the bishop, the people reporting this, myself, are all biased.
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The archbishop has alleged anti-Catholic bias on the part of the NY Times, partly as to the paper’s review of the play in question.
 
Beau_Ouiville said:
I think you are taking a major leap here. You are citing some evidence as conclusory.

What about the play is anti-Catholic? That’s the issue – not some other play.
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I didn’t claim anything was conclusory and all I know of the play is what I read in the artiucles here. I was merely saying that if the producers were trying, as they apparently were, to convince people that the play is respectful and positive towards the Church and moral standards, then they should have avoided naming their previous “artworks” which attest they have form for doing the opposite.

PS I liked “Nunsense”, it was irreverent but did not indulge in mockery, hatred or trivialise the beliefs, motivations and hard work of nuns. Which this play apparently does.

What woman who discovered that she was to be portrayed on-stage by a man, would conclude that the play is not disrespectful and mocking towards her?
 
Petergee said:
I didn’t claim anything was conclusory and all I know of the play is what I read in the artiucles here. I was merely saying that if the producers were trying, as they apparently were, to convince people that the play is respectful and positive towards the Church and moral standards, then they should have avoided naming their previous “artworks” which attest they have form for doing the opposite.
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Hmmm … I still think that’s a leap. ‘What’s in a name?’ Plus, I guess they can’t change the name of a play retroactively.
Petergee said:
PS I liked “Nunsense”, it was irreverent but did not indulge in mockery, hatred or trivialise the beliefs, motivations and hard work of nuns. Which this play apparently does.
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That’s another jump.
Petergee said:
What woman who discovered that she was to be portrayed on-stage by a man, would conclude that the play is not disrespectful and mocking towards her?
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Nuns on the Run?
 
I like and respect Dolan. From his appearances on EWTN, he strikes me as an honorable man and a staunch, dedicated Defender of the Faith.

Therefore, if he goes out of his way to say that this production may have some “disrepectful, insulting” elements to it, I tend to trust him on that matter.

Ultimately, though, the best way to gauge the worth of this play is to see the production.

Anybody here who has seen it?

However, I just think Dolan would not have gone out of his way to slam this production unless he genuinely thought there were Anti-Catholic elements in it.🙂
 
OrdinaryMelkite said:
However, I just think Dolan would not have gone out of his way to slam this production unless he genuinely thought there were Anti-Catholic elements in it.🙂
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I haven’t; just read the Ben Brantley review, which was favorable and gave me the impression the play was more of a satire on the old movies and plays that featured Catholic nuns prominently, like The Sound of Music. I didn’t get the impression from the review that it was taking direct aim at the Church so much as gently and affectionately mocking these beloved pop cultural artifacts.

However there is something about a man in drag playing a nun, on a Broadway stage, that is slightly unsettling.

I also like and respect Archbishop Dolan. I hope he’s not using up his ammunition (so to speak) on trivial matters.
 
OrdinaryMelkite said:
I like and respect Dolan. From his appearances on EWTN, he strikes me as an honorable man and a staunch, dedicated Defender of the Faith.

Therefore, if he goes out of his way to say that this production may have some “disrepectful, insulting” elements to it, I tend to trust him on that matter.

Ultimately, though, the best way to gauge the worth of this play is to see the production.

Anybody here who has seen it?

However, I just think Dolan would not have gone out of his way to slam this production unless he genuinely thought there were Anti-Catholic elements in it.🙂
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Based on the above criteria there probably are about only a dozen or so people who can gauge the worth of this “play”
 
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