Sister Act the Musical

Blackpool and Fylde Light Opera Company must have been delighted to be one of the few Amateur Societies to obtain a licence to perform “Sister Act” and I was pleased to be invited to their production at The Grand Theatre, Blackpool. The show is set in the 1970’s with lyrics by Glen Slater and music by Alan Menken with the story being based on the 1992 film version. It is encouraging that this show is attracting good houses. It is certainly a challenge to present a new show with unknown and unfamiliar musical numbers. There is a great range of lovely music with many up tempo tunes. This was the premiere production of “Sister Act” in Lancashire and this talented company certainly made the most of the opportunity. I could see this was going to be something special from the outset when we were treated to a rousing overture from the excellent orchestra under the baton of award winning Musical Director,Jim Thomas. The opening number, where we were introduced to leading lady Rachel Johnson, Doloris Von Cartier, was unfortunately disappointing as there were some obvious problems with the clarity of sound. This situation was to continue through most of the show and as this was the  Friday performance I feel this should have been rectified by now. This said, I thoroughly enjoyed the evening as there were some memorable performances from the very strong cast. Rachel Johnson, as leading artiste brought out the best in her interpretation of the role and apart from a lack of volume at times, hers was an excellent characterisation. There may well be a future on the professional stage for this young lady. Alima Khan as Mother Superior was outstanding. Her lovely voice and obvious acting skills made this one of the highlights of the night. Sarah McFadyen, Danielle Woodhouse, Jane Squire, Pat Sumner and Joan Kane all totally different characters ensured there were no weak links in these minor roles. I particularly liked Peter Baldwin as Curtis the gangster. He sang well and was always in character. His three underlings, Joey, Jeremy Clark, T.J, Brad Wilson and Pablo, Erik Blackburn made an hilarious trio. Jeremy, a lovely singer, Brad a natural comic and Eric a perfect foil for the other two. The chorus of nuns was outstanding. They were obviously well rehearsed and their singing and movement was integral to the success of the show. Costumes were excellent with some colourful touches to enhance the nun’s habits as the show progressed.  Director/Choreographer, Jacqui Mein, has no doubt enjoyed this production and it is apparent there has been a tremendous amount of time and effort needed to make this the success it undoubtedly is.

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