Michigan native Dan Goggin, creator, composer and writer of the off-Broadway smash hit “Nunsense” will be at Oakland University directing the shows 7th and final sequel, “Nunset Boulevard.”

For Goggin, “Nunset Boulevard” is the culmination of a wild idea that went viral.

It began in 1981 when a friend gave him a mannequin dressed as a traditional Dominican nun as a joke. After the smiles and laughs, he and another friend decided to make a greeting card out of her.

The popularity of the cards sparked the idea of creating a character out of the mannequin and staging a small cabaret show.

The show, intended to run for four weekends, ended up entertaining for 38 weeks.

“It just kind of snowballed after (receiving the mannequin). One thing just led to another. None of it was planned,” Goggin said.

Realizing they had something going for them, Goggin and his crew made adjustments and rewrites, and aired the evolved version, “Nunsense,” in 1985.

After six sequels, Goggin has trouble comprehending what has happened in the past 26 years.

“Of all the seven shows there have been 8,000 productions around the world,” he said. “It’s almost like it’s so big you can’t even connect with it.”

The “Nunsense” plays are based around the five Sisters of Hoboken.

In the first play, their wild adventure and troubles begin when their cook, Sister Julia, accidentally poisons the soup, killing 52 sisters.

She and the surviving sisters, Reverend Mother Regina, Sister Mary Hubert, Sister Robert Anne, Sister Mary Leo and Sister Mary Amnesia, have to pay for the funeral expenses. They decide to put on a variety show to pay for the expenses.

The latest and final sequel, “Nunset Boulevard”, will be playing at the Meadow Brook Theatre from Jan. 4 through 29.

In this show, the Sisters of Hoboken are invited to sing at the Hollywood Bowl.

They are disappointed, however, when they realize that they are to sing at the Hollywood Bowl-A-Rama instead of the famous Hollywood Bowl. Their hopes grow again when they hear about auditions for a musical movie about a nun.

Goggin said the five sisters are based off real life nuns who were his teachers during his childhood, and a lot of the humor is influenced by real life.

He said these personal touches are the key to the humor.

“As a writer you have to reveal personal feelings about yourself, because that is what makes your writing honest,” Goggin said. “If you become closed, I think your writing becomes closed to your audience.”

Though there is religious humor in his plays, he makes it clear that one doesn’t have to be Catholic to enjoy the movie.

Nor is it necessary to have seen preceding plays, since they are not direct sequels.

Although there will be no more sequels for “Nunsense,” neither him nor the play are leaving the show business.

“(Nunset Boulevard) makes a nice end to the story. So now what I am doing is going around and directing shows. Next year we will be touring ‘Nunset Boulevard’,” Goggin said. “We have enough toys to play with so now we will just play.”

He has no desire to see “Nunsense” go to Broadway, though he has had the chance.

“Once you go on Broadway, everyone gets involved. We were better staying in a situation where we can be in control. For New York, if we stayed small, we could last a lot longer,” he said.

Goggin warns that the music, show and acting business is tough, but encourages students to follow through with their dreams.

“It’s a hard business, so you have to really, really want it,” he said. “If you do, just stick with it and it will work. Just keep plugging away at it.”

“Nunset Boulevard” will be playing at Meadow Brook Theater from January 4 through 29. Tickets range from $24 to $39. Call 248-370-3316 for tickets, or visit www.ticketmaster.com. Student discounts are available at the box office.

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Contact senior reporter Jordan Gonzalez at [email protected]