Sister Act

This is an iconic show, always much loved by the audience.  It never fails to entertain and has some great parts for women, and although they are on stage somewhat less, there are some very interesting characters for the men to play.  

The opening scene in the nightclub is where we meet Delores, the heroine of the show.  She is auditioning with her backing girls for Curtis, the owner of the night club.  He is a controlling and menacing individual and although his boys like to appear big and confident, they are also very wary of Curtis for they know he would wipe them out without a second thought.  They are right to be wary as Curtis then shoots one of the boys. Delores is an accidental witness to this and is now on the run.  The next scene moves to the police station where, by chance,  the cop was a classmate from her schooldays. These two scenes set the background to the story and invariably seem a little slow compared to the rest of the show.  It would be difficult to inject more pace but possibly if a greater feeling of menace could be exuded by Curtis, and more fear by Delores and the boys, it might provide a greater feeling of urgency.

The story moves to the convent where Delores will be hiding and the fun now begins.   Mother Superior greets her and lays down the rules.   The lines are immediately set for the relationship between the two of them.   Mother Superior showing a sardonic edge to her comments and  Delores responding with disbelief mixed with bravado.  She cannot believe how different life in the convent would prove to be.  These principle roles were performed by two talented and experienced actresses, both with superb singing voices and the ability to play the character with conviction.   Interestingly both Mother Superior and Delores undergo a change of understanding of themselves and the world around them, which was clearly portrayed.

There are many quirky, almost eccentric nuns in this convent - they might all be dressed identically but the characters are so very different.  These were convincingly played, allowing the humour and fun to burst forth.  Sister Mary Robert was played with innocence and naivety - the singing of The Life I Never Led was very moving.  

It was so interesting to watch Sweaty Eddie's transformation from the cop with low self-esteem into the strong, confident suitor for Delores.   This was a lovely interpretation of the character and we could really feel the depth of his emotion in the beautifully sung "I Could be that Guy".  "Lady in the Long Black Dress"  performed and sung by Joey, TJ, and Pablo was great fun.  These characters added much to the humour of the show.  These were some of many strong performances by the supporting actors - the casting had been very well considered.

There are copious opportunities for dancing and movement and this had been well choreographed and performed.  

The music was splendid and the singing was glorious.   Accents were used, Irish by Monsignor O'Hara and American by everyone else, apart from Pablo whose Spanish was very convincing - although I have no idea what he was saying!  Accents were held consistently and with clear diction.   

"Wow" is really the only word needed to describe the nuns'  costumes and there were so many changes of habit.  The drag act costume was almost indistinguishable from Delores's "normal" clothing and it was quite believable that the boys could mistake the drag queen for her.  It made for a very funny sequence.  Sweaty Eddie's transformation scene when he changes from cop to rock icon and back to cop worked really well.  It is a difficult sequence and so easy for one of those changes to go awry but this happened without a hitch.  There were so many costumes -  the homeless, the alter boys, Curtis's boys, the backing singers, people in the night club and countless more...  To manage the wardrobe for this is not an easy job, and the result was impressive as visually it was gorgeous.

The lighting suited the different settings ideally and the sound effects were spot on.  Generally the sound was very good with a good balance.  There was occasional crackling but it didn't interfere with the enjoyment.  

Furniture was kept to a minimum and with the effective use of back projection, backcloths and a gauze the scenes were able to move swiftly from one to another. 

There is a real depth to this musical.  Some of the songs are full of pathos and some are full of energy and joy.  This was an excellent choice, and it was no surprise that this production was sold out before the week began.  This society continued its reputation for producing an excellent performance and with a show as popular as this, success was guaranteed.   

Joyce 

 

 

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