Sister Act

CAOS Musical Theatre Company finally got the opportunity to stage their long awaited production of Sister Act and it was a joyous return after a three year gap. The musical brings a retelling of the 1992 film starring Whoopi Goldberg as a struggling 1970s nightclub singer who goes undercover as a nun after witnessing a murder, it is a classic, jubilant story of the power of community and coming together. Lee gave us a good interpretation of the story and there were some poignant as well as fun moments especially in the "Fabulous Baby reprise" and the "Sister Act" number. The choreography had all the fun elements required and it was performed well throughout. Sets looked good and were able to be swiftly changed to maintain the pace of the show, the lighting plot complimented the various moods and scenes. Sound was on the whole good as they had a large orchestra to balance with who, under the baton of Lee, were good throughout. The many costumes were effective and worked well in the quick on stage changes for the nuns.

Melanie King as Dolores van Cartier gave a confident performance in this huge role, she went from sassy and scared to caring and emotional, her vocals were good, she had good comic timing and her stamina never faded.

The role of Mother Superior was safe in the very experienced hands of Katie Howes, she was the perfect foil for Delores, with clear diction, a good singing voice and a believable change from Delores being an irritation to her genuinely caring for her. Bill Collins as Monsignor O’Hara was the perfect sidekick for the Mother Superior, the two of them had lovely scenes together.

Claire Garbutt as Sister Mary Robert was superb as the naïve postulant and her performance of "The Life I Never Led" was beautiful. Amy Surtees and Lisa Powel were great fun as Sister Mary Patrick and Sister Mary Lazarus, good character performances.

Scott Brannigan-Howes gave a sincere performance as “Steady” Eddie, the cop investigating the case and Dolores’s old high school friend who’s still harbouring a crush; his production number “I Could Be That Guy” also showcased his superb dancing ability.

Club-owner Curtis played by Pete Johnson was intimidating, ruthless and rough and he did it with style and great vocals. The roles of TJ, Joey and Pablo played by Andy Key, Martin Anderson and Freddie Scott, were suitably camp and funny and they were good movers and singers, the audience loved them a lot!

There was good support throughout from the other cameo roles but the undoubted stars of the production were the army of nuns who gave an super performance, their singing and movement was excellent and the joy in performing was tangible.

Well done to Lee, Kirsty, the cast, crew and production team, this heart-warming show won over the hearts of audience and sent them home with a smile.

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