Sister Act

Sister Act is an ambitious show to put on especially for a small amateur company. There is a big cast and there are a number of sizable singing and movement numbers that test even top professional companies. So it was a pleasure to see Walkerville Musical Society carry this production off with such success. The venue is small and not theatrical in basic design but the company made the best of what they had. It is good to see that they are building up a healthy stock of cloths and are able to costume such a big number of players (even going so far as one that is torn off at a strategic moment  in the action).  Given the limited facilities they made a good job of presenting the story in a slick and colourful fashion. The zest on the stage was infectious. The undoubted luminaries of the show are Deloris (played by Lisa Harland) and Mother Superior (Hélèn Archer). The chemistry of these two characters sets the tone for the production and drives the narrative forwards. Both of these actors rose to the occasion and carried the show with talent and skill. Lisa was suitably buoyant and Hélèn was perfectly calm and controlled (melting a little towards the end when it mattered).  They both had excellent voices and delivered their joint and solo numbers engagingly. They have such confidence and joy in their parts and they go together so well. Ken Richardson was suitably wicked as Curtis and Nick Thompson well cast as the cop, tough on the outside with a soft centre. The Nuns’ chorus filled the stage physically and as an ensemble and worked miracles with the cramped space to portray suitable piety and joy de vivre when required. There were some beautiful harmonies both on stage and off. The whole cast did their best and succeeded in transporting us to the place and era of the story. You really did get absorbed in the stage action and forgot that we were in a suburb of Newcastle. The band played well and it was surprising to peek over into the pit to wonder how such a small group of musicians could produce such a full and rich sound. We know that times can be tough financially and getting enough good volunteers is difficult but I hope this company continues to put on good shows like this for a long time in the future. I hope the audience would agree it was well worth the effort.

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