Sister Act

Carlton Operatic Society performed the regional premier of Sister Act at the Nottingham Theatre Royal. For their first performance at the Theatre Royal, Carlton had a grand setting for a great occasion. Full of energy, great music and laughter Carlton Op. thoroughly entertained the lively audience with a musical of professional standards.

The combined efforts of the creative team were expertly blended to create a truly fantastic feat of amateur theatre, certainly set the benchmark with this production. The planning and execution of the direction provided by Amanda Hall was excellent. All aspects of delivery with musical sound, directed by Christopher Rees, were superb. And the choreography, provided by Lisa Lee, was well devised and expertly applied. All in all, this was a fine example of musical production, more than fitting of the grand occasion.

Carlton is certainly privileged to have so many talented performers within its group. The performances from both principle and ensemble were polished, energetic and professional. With near-faultless casting, Carton exhibited some brilliant performances. Full of character, attitude and comedy, Monique Henry was quite simply superb as Deloris. Rising to the occasion, Monique executed with a sublime vocal performance throughout, full of tone, emotion and quality. Mother Superior, played by Sarah Walker-Smith, sang with a beautifully seasoned voice and gave a delightful, perfectly contrasting, performance as the straight leader. Lyndon Warnsby acted the nightclub owner villain brilliantly and his three stooges, played by Liam Hall, Mark Coffee-Bainbridge and Nigel Newton, were perfectly cast, providing outstanding comic bursts! The nuns were all excellent, performing with great enthusiasm and adding to the professional standards achieved. Topping the bill for the nuns were the performances provided by Jackie Dunn, Hannah Rogers-Gee and Laura Thurman, each one providing superb character portrayals. Finally, Ray McLeod gave a marvellous and charmingly comedic performance as Officer Eddie Souther.

The scenery package, professionally sourced, was simple yet adequate. The costumes were consistent, vibrant, visually fitting and added to the occasion. Backstage work was stylised and consistent. Technically, this production benefited from the professional assistance from the in-house team and it was certainly noticeable; delivering with slick scene changes, flawless lighting transitions and well controlled sound. Again, all components came together to add to the professionalism of this show.

With this production, Carlton Op. has proven that amateur productions can easily achieve the quality and standards expected of any professional theatre company. With all aspects of this musical working together nicely, it proved to be an entirely enjoyable evening. This was a fantastic production, deserving of both the standing ovation given by the enthused audience and the ‘fabulous’ post-show praise. From all at NODA Nottingham, we thank you for your hospitality and look forward to seeing your next production of Legally Blonde in 2015.

Show Report by Matt Fry
NODA Nottingham, District 3, East Midlands Region

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