Just in time for Lent, fans of smart and sacrilegious humor might consider checking out Hot Priest Sketch Show from an all-woman cast of veteran Vermont comedians. The one-weekend-only performance, at Off Center for the Dramatic Arts in Burlington, promises bold and irreverent comedy, including som e playful ribbing of men, clergy and religion in general. The creators and cast of Hot Priest — Amy Halpin Riley, Maggie Phelan, Maggie Maxwell and Maddy Hyams — are writers, standup comedians and improv players. All have been performing together for at least a year, and they started scripting the show in December. Hot Priest gets its name from an improv scene the women performed. It’s also an homage to Phoebe Waller-Bridge, writer and star of the Prime Video series “Fleabag,” in which the main character develops a taste for the forbidden fruit of her parish priest and vice versa. “We all think she’s a brilliant woman in comedy, so we ran with it,” Halpin Riley said. Leila Teitelman, a playwright, actor and lecturer at the University of Vermont, directed the show. Last year, Halpin Riley directed Teitelman’s play BabyCakes, which explores grief through the story of a support group for bereaved parents. Halpin Riley also cofounded Full Circle Theater Collaborative during the pandemic shutdown as part of an effort to keep youth arts programming going; in 2023, she codirected the musical Spring Awakening, about 11 teens’ coming of age, which includes themes of homosexuality, abortion, masturbation and suicide. Needless to say, this show has a much lighter tone. Halpin Riley said it covers a range of topics, including the realities of life for older women and their evolving relationships with men. “We didn’t intentionally set out to investigate religion and Catholicism,” said Halpin Riley, one of three cast members who were raised Catholic. “But when we came together and brought sketches, that scene bubbled up to the top, so we were like, ‘Let’s roll with it.’” Unlike the group’s usual improv work, Hot Priest Sketch Show is almost entirely scripted and includes scenes filmed in advance. A 15- to 20-minute improv set follows the show, a practice based on the Second City comedy model. The four-woman team has established comedic chops. Halpin Riley attended the Second City Conservatory in Chicago and performed with ImprovOlympic (now iO Theater Chicago) and the Upright Citizens Brigade. Phelan was a top-five finalist in the Vermont’s Funniest Comedian contest in 2019 and 2023 and has performed in festivals around New England and in NYC Sketchfest. Maxwell has appeared on NBC’s “Bring the Funny” and GOLD Comedy’s “No Worries If Not!” Hyams has also performed with Upright Citizens Brigade, Second City and the Pack Theater and opened for many nationally touring headliners. Halpin Riley said she enjoys working with an all-female cast and crew, especially because the comedy scene outside Vermont tends to be male-dominated. She described this group of performers as “some of the most talented comedic voices in this community.” Is it too early to ask about a sequel, such as a show about a randy rabbi, a hunky monk or a sicker vicar? “We would love to do it,” Halpin Riley said with a laugh, noting that a few characters recur throughout the show. “Bringing them back in a sequel is a real possibility.” So is taking the show on the road. While Hot Priest includes no trigger warnings for those of fragile faith, Halpin Riley noted that it’s an 18-plus show intended for mature audiences only. In short, expect a very loose canon. Hot Priest Sketch Show, Friday, March 6, 7 p.m.; and Saturday, March 7, 4 and 7 p.m., at Off Center for the Dramatic Arts in Burlington. $10. Recommended 18+. The post ‘Hot Priest Sketch Show’ Brings Divine Comedy to Burlington appeared first on Seven Days. ...read more read less