Sister Act

Sister Act

By Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater, book by Cherie & Bill Steinkellner

This feelgood musical follows the adventures of nightclub singer Deloris van Cartier when disguised as a nun she takes refuge in a convent having been witness to a fatal shooting by her gangster boyfriend, and SMT certainly hit the mark with this production.

There were quality performances from a strong cast of principals and chorus bringing many fresh faces to the Sidmouth stage, and had a great company feel.

Deloris was simply superb in the lead role, the Mother Superior was excellent and made a perfect foil, initially unbending she soon warmed to the singer when she realised the amazing improvement in the Nun’s Chorus!

The “Baddie” of the piece was suitably intimidating, the antics of his three sidekicks gave great delight to the audience, and there was an impressive scene when they gave chase through the cloisters.

The Monsignor and Sisters Mary Lazarus and Mary Patrick were well played by SMT regulars and one of the younger members shone in the role of the postulant Mary Robert.

This was a busy show for the chorus with lots of costumes changes and they all played a variety of parts! We were treated to a delightful newscaster, a memorable “drag queen”, and the Pope made an impressive entrance through the auditorium at the end.

The cast and crew worked well together to facilitate the scene changes, the locations simply portrayed by a few select pieces of furniture and props – not wanting to add to the workload of the wardrobe department who did a sterling job, it might have just been an added touch if the “backstage gang” could perhaps have been in costume as well – just a thought.

Feedback from earlier in the run gave assurance that the role of Lieutenant Eddie Southern had been very well performed. At this performance however the part of “Sweaty Eddie” was played at very short notice by an experienced Devon based singer who gave a first-rate delivery and established a great rapport with the audience, his lightning “on stage” costume changes certainly adding to the wow factor!

While there was some striking back projection depicting the various locations, particularly the interior of the Cathedral, the lighting at times did seem patchy and there were some late cues – this could of course have been down to technical issues on the evening. `

Simon Carter ably stepped into the pit taking charge of the baton for Musical Director Ian Crew, who unfortunately was indisposed, and the musical numbers were of an exceptional quality. The Nuns’ chorus songs were particularly impressive, but it was not always easy with the singing to hear all the lyrics, again perhaps this was down to technical issues on the night.

As usual with this Society the choreography was very well-crafted under an expert eye, and overall the production was smooth flowing and well-co-ordinated under experienced direction.

This was an excellent show which certainly deserved the rapturous applause and standing ovation at the end.

Well done SMT!

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what they see at the performance in question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance, and it is inevitable that their assessment will be affected by that knowledge.

The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular the performance viewed.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre.

It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions.

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