Sister Act

I’ve seen this musical three times before but never enjoyed it nearly as much as I did when I attended your super production 10 days ago. Despite the background story being about gangsters, murder and a loud, flamboyant lounge singer in fear for her life, it has a wealth of comedy and a real ‘feel-good’ factor.

The fact that Doloris’ place of refuge is a convent opens up wonderful opportunities for comedy. That perhaps is the reason for its success – Doloris is the most unlikely person to be able to adapt to life in a convent, but because of her vocal ability and her sheer ‘joie de vivre’, she wins over the nuns when she becomes the leader of their apparently tone-deaf choir. Their joy comes from their devotion to God and a life of service to that end, whereas Doloris lives in the moment and has an enormous ability to inspire and spread happiness. The blossoming friendship between such disparate souls was beautifully portrayed.

Set design of the outside of the convent was attractive and dignified and easily converted to the interior by the changes in lighting and the furniture/props. The juke-box in the bar, the confessional, the cell beds and the refectory table were used to create the other scenes.

The opening with Doloris and her backing singers was a really strong one and from then on, in the role of Doloris, Susie Neale was magnetic.  Her character was full of energy, fun, plus an unexpected naivety. She gave an exceptionally good performance.

In the role of Mother Superior, Louisa Skinner also gave a first-rate performance – she had the gravity her position required but was gentle when dealing with her charges.

The three Sisters Mary portrayed their different characters strongly - the young postulant Sister Mary Robert being rather introverted to start - but growing in confidence as the story progressed.  Rosie Knox played the played the part well and ‘The Life I Never Had’ was beautifully sung.

Connie was feisty and looked as though she was enjoying playing Sister Mary Lazarus – a fun role to play – and as the slightly more subdued Sister Mary Patrick, Sophie Smith also acted well.

All of the nuns, each with their own personality, added much to the show. They were in character throughout, never faltered and I loved Amanda’s ‘vacant’ Sister Mary Martin of Tours.

Daniel Evans was commendable as Sweaty Eddie and his ‘I Could be that Guy’ was particularly good, as was ‘Fabulous Baby’.

In the role of Monsignor O’Hara, David Palman was convincing and maintained a good Irish accent.

Curtis Jackson, the murdering gangster, was portrayed powerfully by Oscar Musat – clearly the ‘baddy’ of the piece is his forte and once again he made another first-rate, threatening character.

We met his three sidekicks in ‘When I Find my Baby’ and they were delightfully entertaining. Their costumes depicted their different characters and they could all move and sing well. Callum Reynolds, James Fuller and Alexander Boyall supported their criminal leader strongly.

The bar scene was super and the ‘chase’ was classic, almost pantomime and it raised much laughter.

Worthy of mention are the two young men who danced in the ensemble work – they were confident and agile.

Lighting by MC Production Group complimented the musical strongly -  there were some wonderful effects - and the sound was well balanced too.

The cast set the individual scenes efficiently and provided interest whilst doing so – the long refectory table in ‘It’s Good to be a Nun’ was set very quickly and was clearly well practised.

Costumes were very good indeed and the glittery costumes in the finale were just splendid – it was a fantastic finale!

Musical Director Adam Blosse led his band strongly, and although the music was of necessity rather loud in some numbers, the vocalists could always be heard. ‘Gloria in Excelsis Deo’ was a real pleasure ------ especially for me!

Lucy Keyser’s choreography was imaginative and the dancers in the company met the challenge of complicated routines whilst appearing totally at ease. The simpler chorus movements were attractively set and came across as well-rehearsed.

Jack has once again produced a superb show – his more unusual touches were apparent in the direction and it was an exceptional evening’s entertainment. I hope he enjoys a well- earned sabbatical.

Your programme cover is eye-catching, set out for convenience of reading and the bold white print stands out strongly against the purple background. The paper quality is good and I liked the striking advertisement for your next musical - ‘Annie’. I trust you will enter it in the NODA poster/programme competition for this coming season.

My congratulations to the production team and the talented cast – in fact everyone involved in ‘Sister Act’, and I thank you for inviting me to see the show and for your hospitality on the evening – especially Jack.

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