Nuns Against Porn

The title pretty much says it all. Anything with "nuns" in the title, you know what you're getting: a comedy that doesn't much care how it pushes the boundaries of church and taste. Throw a little porn—read "gratuitous nudity," thank you, Jesus—into the picture, and it's all spelled out in XXX neon: Shamelessly sexual antics abound. For a fun, "no subtlety allowed" evening at the theater, this religiously silly, fast-paced, bare-assed romp inside a rundown mountain cabin often delivers.

Entering the cabin, we meet the Sisters of Unyielding Discipline (Laura Walker and Eileen Rogers), preparing to embark on a weeklong ritual of abject supplication, lorded over by their foulmouthed Mother Superior (a delightfully dry Margaret Flynn). As comic convention—call him cousin Mario—would have it, the cabin is also rented for the week to a band of indie filmmakers, planning to shoot an all-male adult video. Starring the celebrated but oh-so-dim Rock Throbber (Jonathan Bierner) and Brick Longshaft (Markus Cummings), the "plot" of this video concerns a young monk (Scott Romstadt, sweetly manic) who is initiated into the brotherhood through, well, think "succor" in the largest sense, and prepare for the "ritual of penetration with sacred objects."

Written by Robert Coles, and adapted by Steve Helgoth, a lot of the very clever material works, and although the performances are a bit uneven (all of the roles are double cast) there are plenty of laughs to be had. Matt Orduna does a nice turn as a porn director, working out his Catholic school issues through his role as impresario, and Duane Taniguchi is a hoot as his assistant, in charge of all things lights, camera, and action, which in this case means acting as fluffer. (Who can resist the fabulous, gum-chewing Cummings being prepared for his shot?) Sure, Helgoth's directorial hand goes a bit astray here and there, and we wish there were more control over several over-the-top actors; but, hey, comedy is hard, and old habits are hard to break, no matter who's wearing them.


Presented by and at the Underground Theater Annex, 1310 N. Wilton Place, L.A.
April 2–Indefinite. Fri.–Sat., 8 p.m. (323) 467-0036.