Old Habits Wearing Thin : Lacking a Creative Premise to Resurrect the Concept, ‘Nunsense II’ Rests on Wobbly Underpinnings

“Nunsense” started out as a kind of franchise--namely, greeting cards--so it’s not surprising that once creator Dan Goggin moved his wacky quintet of nuns to the stage, he’d keep that franchise going too. “Nunsense II” had to happen, and it had to happen that CLOs everywhere would try to catch this spinoff. The latest is the Beth Hansen-directed production for Saddleback Civic Light Opera.

But spinoffs aren’t box-office locks, and “Nunsense II” wasn’t nearly the cash cow that the original was. As an encore, it’s as weak as skim milk.

The reason is obvious. Goggin has to concoct an excuse for the return of the Little Sisters of Hoboken, and all he can come up with is that they’ve caught the “theater flea” from the first fund-raiser show (which made up the original “Nunsense”) and want to do another one.

The first show’s premise was flimsy enough, but it did have urgency: Several nuns in the order who had died of botulism from cook Julia Child of God’s bad chow were being stored in the freezer, and money had to be raised to bury them properly before health authorities raised, ahem, hell.

The first “Nunsense” cleverly tied the black-comedy situation to the nuns’ wacky idea of a variety show. With this second coming, everyone is so into show biz that you wonder why they don’t just all up and quit, cross the river and sign with an agent in Manhattan.

Act I’s stream of thin, unfunny songs, many unashamedly mimicking Jerry Herman material, reflects “Nunsense II’s” wobbly underpinnings. When they aren’t about how great it is to be back on stage (“The Biggest Still Ain’t Best”), they’re poor versions of similar stuff from the first show (“Prima Ballerina” or “Padre Polka”).

Act II is not quite as forgettable, partly because the mix of songs, audience-participation bits and comedy are better blended. It doesn’t matter if you get the plot twists--Patti McClure’s amnesiac Sister Mary Paul turns them into the show’s best physical comedy. And the sing-along “What a Catastrophe” is one time when a song is fun for its own sake.

This sequel can never rise above the sense that it’s cashing in on a gimmick, and it’s unable to build on the original. It definitely doesn’t help that Hansen’s actors lack the voices and comic spirit to bolster the fun factor.

Karen Angela’s Sister Robert Anne has some street smarts as the tough-kid nun, but her solo numbers are wobbly. McClure, as noted, is funny, and DJ Gray is cute trying to be a ballerina, but not all that funny (and why is she wearing a different habit from the rest?). Marie Kelly’s Sister Mary Hubert is hesitant and sometimes inaudible, while Mychael McDonough is too meek and mild to live up to the title of Mother Superior.

Under Hansen’s musical direction, the weak song book is made weaker by the indifferent support of Claudia Kellogg’s piano and Axel Clark’s percussion. The designers, though, deliver in a big way: Wally Huntoon’s set is a thorough, witty re-creation of a high school gym (with a few surprises); lighting man Kevin Cook gooses this silliness with some terrific effects.

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* “Nunsense II,” McKinney Theatre, Saddleback College, 28000 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 3 p.m. Ends Sunday. $16-$18. (714) 582-4656. Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes.

Karen Angela: Sister Robert Anne

Mychael McDonough: Mother Superior

DJ Gray: Sister Mary Leo

Marie Kelly: Sister Mary Hubert

Patti McClure: Sister Mary Paul

A Saddleback Civic Light Opera production of Dan Goggin’s musical. Director-musical director: Beth Hansen. Set: Wally Huntoon. Lights: Kevin Cook. Choreography: Susan Cable. Costumes: Charles Castagno.