Sister Act

On a cold, gale-blowing evening the members of Kirkwall AOS left the full-house audience with smiling faces and a lovely warm feeling inside with their excellent production. With a simple but very effective set comprised of arched cloisters (designed and built by members of the company) as a background the ensemble of Nuns delivered up joyous and (mostly) harmonious singing of the company numbers such as “It’s Good To Be A Nun”, “Take Me To Heaven” and “Raise Your Voice”, all accompanied by MD Michael Bell and his hard working orchestra, along with well executed choreography. Isla Flett as Delores Van Cartier was perfect as the sassy nightclub singer on the run with a strong voice and excellent acting skills – she was truly “fabulous baby”. Lesley Howard as the serene but worldly-wise Mother Superior was a lovely contrast, delivering her delightful one-liners and barbs with aplomb and I particularly liked her rendition of “I Haven’t Got A Prayer”. Nyree Gunn as the young postulant Sister Mary Roberts may have been petite in stature but what a powerful voice - shown to its best in her solo in the second act “The Life I Never Led”. Fiona Fraser as the ebullient Sister Mary Patrick and Emma Laughton as the sardonic but twinkle-eyed Sister May Lazarus added much comedy to the piece. Graham Macdonald was suitably sleazy as Curtis, Delores’s gangster boyfriend. His trio of inept sidekicks TJ (Dominic Buttifant), Joey (Kevin Coffey) and Pablo (Rajmund Olah) had the audience in stitches with their rendition of “Lady in the Long Black Dress”. Scott Gilmour as Detective Eddie (better known as “Sweaty” Eddie), Delores’s long-time admirer had the audience on side from his first appearance – his Travoltaesque “I Could Be That Guy” was a delight. Strong support was given by Christopher Matthews as Monsignor O’Hara (who took over the part at a few weeks notice), Cathy Lyner (Sister Mary Martin-of-Tours), Sandra Shearer (Sister Mary Theresa) and Erin Watson and Erika Miller as Delores’s backing singers Michelle and Tina. Congratulations to everyone involved!

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.