Outrageous fun in ‘Christmas Catechism’

The Christmas story has been approached from myriad perspectives by playwrights and storytellers the world over. But the Laguna Playhouse is about to tackle a yuletide question that’s been puzzling historians over the ages:

Whatever happened to the magi’s gold?

From the people who brought you “Late Nite Catechism” and its currently running sequel comes a special Christmas-themed performance, opening Monday at the playhouse and playing through Dec. 23.

“Sister’s Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold” promises more of the same sort of ballistic nun humor that marked the first two long-running episodes on the theater’s dark nights -- only this “lesson” is focused on the gold coins left to Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus in that stable 2,005 years ago.

The setting, as usual, will be a church auditorium, this time replete with Christmas decorations. The occasion is a big church Christmas party, which will begin right after class.

As in previous incarnations of the “Catechism,” Sister will be popping questions to the audience about the Christmas story, with religious knickknacks offered to those playgoers coming up with the correct answers.

There are several “sisters” offering versions of the show, but Laguna’s will be Marypat Donovan, who created the whole ball of ecclesiastical wax in the first place. She’ll pop questions to the audience in the first act before getting down to the “plot” -- a reenactment of the nativity -- in the second.

For this segment, Donovan will recruit volunteer members of the audience, from Mary and Joseph down to the stable animals. In other words, one playgoer will make an ass of him- or herself.

Following Laguna’s Monday opening-night, future stagings are scheduled for Nov. 28 and Dec. 5, 12, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23. A special 2 p.m. matinee is planned for Dec. 22.