Sister Act

Burnley Light Opera have done it again: a superb production which cheered the soul, set new standards for amateur theatre and thrilled a packed auditorium. This show (based on the film starring Whoopi Goldberg and Maggie Smith) deviates a little from the cinematic source but having seen neither the film nor a stage production before I attended this production, I came with a completely open mind and no preconceptions. I left the auditorium after a wonderful evening in the company of a supremely talented society, wondering how on earth a production of this show could possibly be bettered anywhere else.

Opening with a couple of pitch-perfect disco numbers introducing our heroine, the blowsy nightclub diva Doloris Van Cartier, the show wasted no time in hitting a terrific pace which never faltered throughout the evening. Tori Green was simply amazing as Doloris, her considerable talents bringing the character to life magnificently. More than ably supported by her backing singers Sophie Lord and Leanne Tempest, Tori got the show off to a flying start. The disco flavoured score was a particularly nice touch and was very well realised by the orchestra under the talented baton of Jonathan Chalker. Replacing the Motown music from the film with a score which had a disco flavour was an inspired touch, giving the scope for some excellent pastiches and locating the piece very distinctly in a particular time and place. The musical juxtaposition between the sacred and the profane was thus also very well realised, with Nunc dimittis rubbing shoulders with Disco!

Soon enough, Ms Van Cartier is chased into hiding by a terrible gang of underworld ne'er-do-wells and is holed up in the Queen of Angels Cathedral, South Philadelphia and starts a musical career of a very different kind as she licks the tone deaf nuns into shape and manages to save the cash strapped cathedral in the process. Joanne Gill was quite magnificent as the Mother Superior; initially haughty and disapproving but eventually thawing out in the face of Doloris's charms. 'Here Within these Walls' sparkled with wit and 'I Haven't Got a Prayer' was sung beautifully by Joanne, conveying the story of the song with a professional edge and was a real highlight of the show for me. Sisters Mary Robert, Mary Patrick and Mary Lazarus were also played to perfection by Jenny Gill, Vicki Clarkson and Lesley Jackson, providing very strong support throughout the show, excelling in every department. There are a few collective nouns for nuns, 'superfluity' and 'murmur' being two of them: neither term seems at all suited to the fantastic display of music and movement on display from the merry band of sisters resident at the Queen of Angels. The whole cast must have worked so very hard both to master one mind-bending routine after another and produce such a fantastic sound at the same time, it was really quite remarkable.

'Sister Act' is far from being an all female affair however, with some great little roles for the gentlemen to put their own individual stamp on. The villainous Curtis was played with a comically sinister edge by the incomparable Geoff Baron, his 'When I Find My Baby' being another standout number in the show as Curtis and his motley crew boogied their way through a very clever little song. Chris Hall proved himself to be a lovely mover as dozy TJ, Ricardo Castro was a streetwise Pablo and David Norris gave another of his reliably hilarious portraits as Joey. Their 'Lady in the Long Black Dress' had the audience in stitches at the beginning of the second half and was yet another memorable number in a show packed full of them. Paul Ryan brought a cheeky twinkle - and a rather mellifluous Irish accent - to the role of Monsignor O'Hara and David Barrett seemed completely indefatigable as Eddie, a cop with unfortunately leaky armpits. His multi-costume 'strip and reveal' was a wonder of stagecraft and with a strong voice to boot, was another favourite with the audience. With the whole cast involved in bringing the stage to life as nuns, altar boys, dancers and cops amongst many others, everyone had clearly put in so much effort: it wouldn't be fair to pass on giving Peter Dilworth's sparkling cameo as a feisty drag queen a special mention however!

Not only was this a show which was packed with talent, it also had the benefit of a stupendously impressive set. The stained glass windows and the candles of the cathedral; the grimy backstreets; the dodgy nightclub; the down at heel police station: all were conjured up magnificently and scene changes moved apace with remarkable ease. The lighting plot was similarly impressive, creating the impression of depth and of splendour when appropriate: here was a show which looked simply spectacular from curtain up to finale. Some excellent costumes helped to complete the stage picture and the nuns' various guises made for an especially impressive display. There were so many amazingly well choreographed routines, one lost count and simply sat back to take in spectacle after spectacle, everyone on stage obviously having worked like demons to perfect the spellbinding routines. Anthony Williams clearly inspired the cast to greatness on stage with not a wimple or a cassock out of place all night. A show which looks and sounds this good has clearly been finely honed with an enormous amount of work having gone in to making this a very special night for both the cast and the audience.

With so many standout moments to choose from, it's impossible to talk at length about each and every one in as much detail as they deserve: along with the highlights already mentioned, there were so many more gems that it seems invidious not to mention just a few more however! The close of Act One with Doloris and the nuns in full voice was a thing of great beauty; 'Spread the Love' was another barnstorming wonder of a number; 'The Life I Never Led' was a poignant and affecting song, really brought to life by Jenny Gill whose wonderful voice soared with real feeling; 'Take Me to Heaven' is a little cracker of a song which, in the right hands (as it was here) really exploded into life in its many incarnations throughout the show.

I could go on at length about just how special this production was in every respect, the overwhelming impact it had on the audience and the sheer joy it obviously afforded to everyone involved. As a showcase for the considerable talents of Tori Green as Doloris Van Cartier, this was a perfect platform and she excelled in bringing the character to life. Not only that, everyone on stage played just as important a role in helping the whole evening to be a raging success. I've mentioned before that BLOS is a society which is rich in both talent and the overwhelmingly positive attitude needed to bring a touch of magic to the stage: no better example was needed than with this superb production.

This show managed to pull off many things at once and did so in a supremely effective and professional way. 'Sister Act' is a well written show with a lot of surprisingly good music and was tailor made for the BLOS treatment. To conclude, I think it is worth mentioning the remarkable feat this production managed to pull off in terms of its universal appeal across the board. Those of us who are immersed in the world of amateur theatre often try to kid ourselves that we are one big happy band of friendly, supportive, cooperative thesps who enjoy visiting productions from other societies to lavish praise on each other. As we know, all too often, the harshest and most judgemental audience members are often those from a 'rival' society who attend productions merely to find fault or - that common cry so often heard when gaggles of amateur performers gather - wander around loudly complaining that it 'wasn't as good as when we did it'. As I mingled with the crowd after the production and chatted to friends and acquaintances from other amateur societies, there wasn't a single mildly critical voice among them: more than that, there was a feeling abroad that we'd all witnessed something very special. My thanks go to everyone at BLOS for the customary warm welcome and for another superb evening at the theatre. Apologies for the lack of ecclesiastical puns in this show report: I confess, I did think of preying upon your time and patience by dropping a few in but it's a very nasty habit...

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