Theater The End of an Era
posted by on August 13 at 10:30 AM
One sentence, written by Annie Wagner, has appeared in almost every issue of The Stranger for the last three years. That sentence is:
The real point is not the adult-catechism monologue, but the script’s gaps, in which Sister Aubrey Manning dispenses tissues to cover salacious displays of flesh and kitschy prizes to reward the dumbstruck targets of her improvisations.
That is from Wagner’s review of the long-long-long-running Late-Nite Catechism and has lived in the theater calendar since she wrote it in 2005.
It’s an elegant sentence. It explains a lot—the show, its tone, its themes, its audience—in a few well-chosen words. It is also unassailable. I’ve tried to edit it many times for space, never to my satisfaction. Like most Annie Wagner constructions, it has an underlying logic of interlocking parts hidden by a deceptively smooth surface. It’s both rigorous and pleasant.
The 11-year-old Late-Nite Catechism closes at the end of August—which is also when Annie Wagner leaves The Stranger, and Seattle, for Chicago.
(Chicago, incidentally, is the city where Late-Nite Catechism was conceived and originally produced.)
That is Seattle’s tribute to Ms. Wagner. Without her, the Catechism cannot go on.
The use of "dumbstruck" is particularly good.
she will be missed.
Is it just my imagination or is The Stranger hemorrhaging employees these days?
Thank you for answering my question as to how long an era actually is. 11 years does and era make. Good show also.
I wanted Late-Night Catechism to be so much funnier than it actually was.
(Chicago, incidentally, is the city where Late-Nite Catechism was conceived and originally produced.)
My claim to second-hand fame is that playwright Victoria was a grammar school classmate of mine. Thus her nuns were my nuns. Confusingly, there was another Victoria in our class, whose surname was a near homonym of hers.
"I wanted Late-Night Catechism to be so much funnier than it actually was."
I wanted Annie Wagner to be so much funnier than she actually was. And smarter. And less pedantic. Sighhh.. Some wishes aren't meant to come true.. OH WAIT! She's leaving!
Hooray for freakin' Tinkerbell.
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