Sister Act

Sister Act is surely one of the most uplifting musicals and it is proving to be a popular choice for amateur societies.  The story of the would-be disco diva who witnesses a murder and is given witness protection in a convent - until she blows her cover, is hilariously funny but has some very moving moments.

The action, for the most part, takes place in the convent and this formed the basis of the well thought out set, which also adapted well to the other scenes in the show.

The score for this show can be challenging but the chorus of nuns were in excellent voice and their rendition of Raise your Voice can only be described as joyous.

A strong performance by Amy Watt as Deloris van Cartier. This young actress was a joy to watch, and I did like her interaction with Mother Superior.  Her solos were fantastic especially the title number “Sister Act” Very well done.

Well done also to Sarah Huby as Mother Superior.  An excellent portrayal of this uptight character, unaccustomed to showing her emotions. The paced delivery of her dialogue never faltered, and her solos were very well sung.

There were excellent lively performances from Aisha Wheatley as Sister Mary Patrick and Julie Sutcliffe as Sister Mary Lazarus who rocked the audience in “Sunday Morning Fever”. The role of Sister Mary Robert was perfectly played by Emily Williams whose solo “The Life I Never Led” , one of my particular favourites from the show, blew the audience away!

Nathan Hurtauh made an excellent Eddie. His solo I Could Be That Guy was very well sung, and the Travolta costume was revealed and discarded without a hitch excellent work on the ensemble.

Mick Duckworth did a good job of tackling the role of gangster Curtis. The movement supporting his well sung solo, When I Find My Baby, was terrific and well executed by his three sidekicks played by Alex Wright (TJ), Adam Gregory (Joey) and Matthew Leakey (Pablo) all bringing their individual characters to life much to the delight of the audience.  These three characters also have their own song, Lady in the Long Black Dress, which is always a bit of a showstopper and the rendition here was no exception.

There were other good performances from Christine Walker as Sister Mary Martin of Tours and from Anne Marie Carroll as Sister Mary Theresa whose characters never changed throughout the show whether acting singing or dancing, something that is important in a show such as this.   

Monsignor, well played by Kevin Davies got more excitable as the show went on and, in each number, brought a new persona to his character.

The production was well costumed with nice colourful touches to the nun’s habits when called for.

The band gave excellent accompaniment as always and was never too loud, probably due to being hidden at the back of the stage

Lighting was excellent and reflected the music well. Scene changes were carried out with minimum interruption to the pace.

My congratulation to the production team, Andy Lunn Director, Megan Elsegood Choreographer and Tony Dylak Musical Director on an excellent production.

Another very good production by Bradford Catholic Players, but then I have come to expect nothing less from this group.

Thank you for inviting me, I had a lovely evening.

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