Williamsburg

Williamsburg couple’s marriage is full of ‘Nunsense’

May 2, 2014 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Screen Shot 2014-05-02 at 12.38.18 PM.png
Share this:

Alex Farlow and Alyssa Somers Farlow enjoy a good laugh together, as many happily married couples do. But they’re letting you in on the fun, too.

The Williamsburg husband and wife are working together in the Saint Bart’s Players’ production of the smash hit musical “Nunsense,” which opened April 30 at the Chapel of St. Bartholomew Church in Manhattan.

Alyssa is playing “Sister Mary Amnesia” and Alex is the assistant director of the show, which opened off-Broadway in 1985 and ran for 3,672 performances. The hilarious musical is being presented from now until May 11. St. Bartholomew Church is located at 325 Park Ave. The director is Brian Feehan. Karen Dryer is the musical director.

“This has been such a fun, challenging and liberating experience. Getting to play with the several personalities of ‘Amnesia’ every time I walk on the stage is something I will treasure forever. And getting to share this experience with my husband has been the cherry on top of the cake!” Somers Farlow told the Brooklyn Eagle.

Subscribe to our newsletters

Somers Farlow joined the St. Bart’s Players in 2008 and is co-chairman of the troupe. She made her St. Bart’s debut as the narrator in “Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” She has also performed in several fundraising cabaret shows, including “Give My Regards to Christmas,” which was directed by Feehan.

Alex Farlow echoed his wife’s sentiments and said he enjoys working with her. “I love seeing my wife perform and if I wasn’t involved with the show I probably wouldn’t see her but a few hours a week it seems,” he told the Eagle, describing the busy rehearsal and performance schedule.

Farlow is the troupe’s resident photographer and made his St. Bart’s debut as “Willard” in Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” this past fall. A Mississippi native, Alex got his first taste of performing in high school musicals including “Guys and Dolls,” “The Music Man” and “South Pacific.” He has studied at the Atlantic Theater School and HB Studios in New York. Before St. Bart’s he performed with several New York improvisation companies including, Magnet Theater, NY Improv and The Pit.

The Farlows met on the dating website Eharmony.com and were married in 2012.

They both got bitten by the show business bug early.

“I first fell in love with acting when I went to summer drama camps when I was a kid.  I got cast as Peter Pan in my first show and was hooked ever since,” Somers Farlow said.

“I was the youngest of four. I had to do something to get some attention,” Farlow said. “My first play was ‘The Wizard of Oz’ with my father and brother. I grew up in Mississippi where I was a member of the Vicksburg Theater Guild. I attended the University of Mississippi where I graduated with a degree in Economics’

The couple has lived in Williamsburg for six years.

Each one has show business idols whose work they admire. “My number one all time idol is Barbra Streisand,” Somers Farlow said. “I can’t tell you precisely what it is about her, other than I am mesmerized every time I hear her voice.”

Farlow said British actor Alfred Molina is at the top of his list. He admires and respects Molina’s versatility as an actor, he said. “He has been in both great and horrible movies but when I saw him in ‘Red’ on Broadway I was blown away,” Farlow said.

The husband and wife team are enjoying working together and are enjoying being a part of this production.

Since its debut 19 years ago, “Nunsense” has gained near legendary status as a clever, witty, musical that has had audiences rolling in the aisles.

The plot is as crazy as the show’s title!

After a cooking mishap leaves 52 sisters dead, five of the surviving members of the Little Sisters of Hoboken organize a variety show to raise funds for the burial. Despite their artistic and personal differences, these five nuns deliver a comedic and heartfelt show. One of the nuns, “Sister Mary Amnesia,” has lost her memory and doesn’t have a clue as to who she is. The other nuns are patient with her; but “Sister May Annette,” a puppet who sings two duets with her is somewhat sarcastic.

The performance schedule is as follows: Evenings at 8 p.m. on May 7, 9 and 10; Evening at 8:30 on May 2; matinees at 2 p.m. on May 2, 10 and 11.

Tickets are $25.00 and $22.00 for seniors and students 18 and under and can be purchased from The St. Bart’s Players Box Office by phone 212-378-0248 or in person in the church lobby. Tickets can also be purchased online at http://www.stbarts.org/st-barts-players-in-nunsense/.

 

 


Leave a Comment


Leave a Comment