Sister Act

Sister Act the stage musical been well performed and loved by many societies and audiences alike, since its release to amateurs in 2014. The storyline of this musical follows the 1992 film by the same title. The musical content is somewhat different to the film, which is of a surprise to some, due to how memorable the songs were in the film. This said, there is nothing to worry about with this exceptional score, which is written to portray the story. The show was chosen by Blackburn Musical Theatre Company for their 2016 production and what a fantastic choice this was for them. This show played to the society’s strengths and the large faithful female cast relished in the opportunity to perform it.

The initial opening bars of music gave the audience a hint of what was to come, with a great sounding orchestra that supported the cast throughout the whole show. The initial numbers of ‘Take Me to Heaven’ and ‘Fabulous, Baby!’ introduced us to the leading lady of the production. This answered a question on the lips of many and possibly surprised some audience members, due to the lasting impression Whoopi Goldberg left on many people. ‘Is the lead played by someone black?’ in this version of the production she wasn’t, this could have caused apprehension for some, but there was definitely no need. After these first numbers that gave us a glimpse of the want-to-be diva in full swing, we are sure everyone’s worries were put to rest. The production and narrative wasn’t hindered at all with a white Deloris. The care free attitude that this character needs, came across well.

In addition to the lead we also had some good characterisations from other cast members. Most of the nun’s chorus managed to portray their own personas, with some superb principles shining through. The large cast of various backgrounds that the society has brought together contained previous, current and new members of the society. This really helped to give the production a true sense of community and realness. This is exactly what the initial film did and is what audiences love to see, as it is makes it more interesting for everyone. The ladies obviously steal the show, but the men in this production managed to hold their own as well, with some good character portrayals and vocals. Pablo, one Curtis’s Crew was cast very late, so acknowledgement needs to go to him as no one would have realised he joined the production at an advanced stage.

A couple of scenes seemed a little flat in parts, such as the drag queens wig reveal, followed by a chase scene. On the night we attended there must have been a lighting cue issue, as the end chase happened on an unlit stage. In comparison to this some sections of the show had great emotion, especially the scene around ‘The Life I've Never Led’ and the ’Sister Act Reprise’, these were the most moving for us. The good strong character personas from all the cast enabled the whole story and its emotions to be understood and felt by the audience. The emotional journey that this show takes people on was put across superbly and should be commended.

The good quality of acting was coupled with some good singing from the chorus, along with some lovely vocals from the principle cast as well. With a somewhat complicated score, there were on occasion some minor timing issues between the cast and orchestra, but this was far outweighed by the overall quality of sound and spectacle.

The choreography was well executed by all the cast and allowed them to show off their abilities within this area of the production.  A couple of the nun’s numbers did have a somewhat messy appearance but this was no fault of the cast or routines themselves it is just the nature of the long flowing habits that are required to be worn. The opening routine when Deloris is auditioning in front of Curtis was well rehearsed and fitted in with the style and feel of the music, in addition to the nun’s routines really allowing the ladies to let their hair down and allowed then to really show what the sisters were made of. The mob chase scene towards the end of the production when Curtis’s Mob are searching for Deloris didn’t seem to be set quite right to the music, as the bangs and accents in the piece didn’t totally link into the action on stage.

Costumes from The Boyz once again fitted well and looked the part on stage, from the nun’s habits to the stunning sequin gown with white fox fur they all looked fabulous. We did see a couple of wimples that were precariously balanced on people’s heads and a couple of the collars came undone. This set of costumes have been very well used with quite a few societies but never the less they still look neat and tidy. The reveal of the sparkly Habits during ‘Take Me To Heaven’ worked well although it didn't seem to have its desired ‘wow’ impact.

The set was good and looked excellent on the stage. The use of rotating side portals helped make scene changes slick, as well as giving a very visual different stage to the audience. Most of the scene changes happened quickly although on the odd occasion when trucks needed to be moved, the scene changes did seem slightly long. The ‘tote board’ possibly had some issues on the evening we attended as it didn't seem to increase in value. Other props and furniture looked very good on the stage and functioned well. The only improvement we can suggest that would enhance the set is that it bears no reference to the increases in funds for the church which is ‘in need of much improvement’. Some set development to show this renovation as the story progresses would strengthen the narrative and match the references in the script.

Lighting was well designed with some very nice features. The end lighting when Mother Superior was on the bed as Deloris leaves was particularly nice, with it fading to a blue wash with a white central spot. The moving heads were utilised well and added to the overall aesthetics, they were not being over used and gave a very professional look to the show. The sound however was a true bug bear with many cues seeming to be missed throughout. This was at its worst in the Nun’s song ‘It’s good to be a Nun’. It is a very complicated song from sounding point a view with numerous lines sung by many different cast members but a lot of cues were late or missed and crackling could be heard throughout. 

This show was gave the audience everything they could wish for in a show, good acting, singing and dancing. It was a complete package. Not only did audience members speak in voice and say what a fantastic time they had but they also spoke with their feet and the show had excellent box office figures. Many of the audience were up clapping and dancing during the shows finale, which just shows how much they enjoyed the production. In the story of the show itself church services were full as ‘the heavenly music called to them,’ maybe this is what happened for Blackburn Musical Theatre Company too. People were drawn to the production. The cast obviously had a great time performing this show which emitted to the audience, who all had a great time watching it. All in all this was a fun filled and feel good production that the society should be proud of. We look forward to 2017 and ‘Oklahoma!’  

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