Sister Act

From the first brassy notes of the opening number we knew we were in for an upbeat evening - both in terms of the music and dancing and storyline - from this group of talented young people. McKenzie Tocher as aspirational nightclub singer Deloris Van Cartier gave a tour-de-force performance. Her strong voice equally at home in the upbeat numbers such as “Take Me To Heaven” and in the more reflective numbers such as “Sister Act”. She portrayed the transition from bold, brash selfishness to confident, caring sisterliness well. In contrast was Jennifer McClung’s calm and dignified Mother Superior equally at home delivering sage advice or a witty put-down. Her beautiful soprano voice was shown to its best in her solos “Here Within These Walls” and the comedic “I Haven’t Got A Prayer”. Beth Nicolson was outstanding as the young postulant Sister Mary Robert. Her petite stature gave no indication of the powerful voice hidden within – her rendition of “The Life I Never Led” was exceptional. Samuel Anderson as Detective Eddie Souther, Deloris’s long-time admirer, gave a very strong performance with an excellent rendition of “I Could Be That Guy”. Strong performances too were given by Andrew Robertson as gangster Curtis and his side-kicks TJ (Alex Andrews), Joey (Max Hunter) and Pablo (Joel Anderson), their antics in the “Lady In The Long Black Dress” added greatly to the comedy in the show. Strong support was given by Lara Morris (Sister Mary Patrick), Elspeth McPherson (Sister Mary Lazarus) and Rowan Campbell (Monsignor O’Hara). Good use was made of the multi-level set, designed by Susan Ball, especially in the ensemble numbers when the large chorus of Nuns made a heavenly sound (well at least after Deloris had taken them in hand) and raised the roof in the rousing Act 1 finale “Take Me To Heaven” and the closing number “Spread The Love Around”. Choreography, especially in the big ensemble numbers, was impressive. Congratulations for a fun and uplifting evening’s entertainment – the standing ovation was well deserved.

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