Sister Act

Set in 1970’s Philadelphia and featuring original music by Alan Menken (The little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors) Sister Act cleverly uses Disco sounds of the period rather than the Motown of the original film, starring Whoopi Goldberg, to take us on the hilarious roller-coaster ride that is the story of Deloris Van Cartier. As an out of work Lounge singer, the life of wannabe diva Deloris takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a murder and the cops hide her in the last place anyone would think to look—a convent! Though the sequin-free lifestyle doesn’t agree with her, Deloris finds her calling working with the choir, and breathes new life into the dusty convent while discovering a sisterhood she’s never had before.

Sister Act is far from a one woman show but it is essential to have a leading lady who has the voice to meet this demanding role and in Sharon Amesu, Centenary have found a gem, what a debut stage performance, well done.

There were some very good characterisations of the nuns and great singing from Sister Mary Patrick (Kelly Herridge), Sister Mary Robert (Beth McIntosh).  Sister Mary Lazarus (Julia Hart) had just the right amount of testiness and cantankerous nature that when she changed her persona to that of a rapper it was extremely funny. The Mother Superior (Anita Warburton) had incredible diction and played the part with a great combination of sternness and a forgiving heart.

I must mention Sister Mary Martin-of-Tours (Danielle Segar) who captured us every time she was on stage. Her vacant look, attraction to bright lights, moon walking and occasion lucid moments were excellent. The continuity of her character was even present during the choral numbers and had the audience laughing out loud over and over again.

Curtis (Kenneth McConaghy) and his gangsters all acted the parts well but I felt that Joey, Pablo and TJ could have let their inhibitions go more in ‘Lady in the long black dress’. This trio also needs a strong falsetto which was lacking in the harmony. The Monsignor (Simon Pickup) developed the character well as he got more and more trendy. Sweaty Eddie (Sebastian Farrell) was very believable in the role, ‘I could be that Guy’ was a great number and his relationship with Deloris worked well.

During the underscored sections at times the sound mixing could have been better with some of the dialogue difficult to hear and the scene changes behind action on stage needed to be quieter. The other technical aspects were excellent with great scenery and lighting, which was very effective especially in the chase scene.

Jo Milbourne-Chatt provided us with fantastic choreographed routines which the cast and in particular the Nuns choir executed to perfection. The constant flow and movement created great visual pictures that were matched by rich harmonies that Malcolm Fallows (MD) and the Nuns had obviously worked hard to achieve.

This was a highly professional show and a credit to Ian Bennett and his production team. It was no wonder that the whole audience stood to enjoy the last number, show their appreciation and raise their voices for a great combined company effort.

Thank you for the hospitality on the night and I hope to be invited back to all your shows in the future. Well done all and thank you again.

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