Sister Act - The Musical

A great performance by Yorkshire Performance Preparation Academy which shows how this group continues to go from strength to strength.   Danyl -James Turvey has given Rotherham a fabulous debut of this upbeat musical and supported some talented young people to pull off a very entertaining production.

The singing was super and was well-supported by a live ten-piece  band.  Musical Director, Andy Collis, had clearly supported the young people to perform these numbers with great energy and passion. The routines were all very energetic and well-choreographed.  Everyone on stage performed with great enthusiasm and ability - it was hugely impressive to see a mass of nuns dancing across the stage.

The characterisation was wonderful, particularly amongst the nuns.  It was very impressive to see the work which had gone into rehearsals to ensure that even though the roles were being played by young women it was very easy to believe that they were ageing nuns – excellent physical interpretations of age and infirmity.  I was particularly taken with the Olivia Haslam as the engaging and enthusiastic Sister Mary Patrick, Millie May Gatley as the surprisingly ‘up beat’ Sister Mary Lazarus and a somewhat spritely performance by Nell Stroughair as Sister Mary Theresa.  The whole ensemble worked hard and excellently supported the principal cast – every member on stage contributed to this great performance.

Declan Osborne was loveable in the part of street cop Eddie Souter – a very engaging portrayal.  The role of Curtis Jackson was taken by Callen Wilson who was great as the gangland killer.  Luke Harriot was incredibly entertaining in the roles of both Monsignor O’Hara and Ernie – I was particularly impressed with his energetic delivery of his lines.  There was a huge amount of comedy from Curtis’s ‘entourage’ with an excellent performance by Dillon Batey as TJ – this young man continues to develop as an excellent performer in all the roles he takes.  Sam Simmons as Joey and Adam Wigglesworth as Pablo were hilarious  - their comic timing was super and together with Wilson and Batey were part of some great song and dance routines – very well done gentlemen.

It would be totally remiss of me not to emphasise the fabulous contributions of two young women who were making their debuts as leading ladies – Summer Williams as the almost insufferable, but very entertaining Mother Superior and Ella Foxton who gave a fantastic and powerful performance as Deloris.  Along with Grace Castle as the young postulant Sister Mary Robert they all showed talent and potential beyond their years.

The costumes were perfect for the production and sincere congratulations must go to the costume team for their hard work in producing and pulling together such an effective wardrobe.  The scenery and props were appropriate for this story with strong light and sound to keep this production very sharp. 

It was clear everyone on stage really enjoyed being part of this production as they all demonstrated great energy and enthusiasm.  I felt that the pace was very good with every performer singing and dancing to full effect.  There is a huge amount of young talent to keep this group moving forward and what is very impressive is the continued commitment from the Production Team to provide an inclusive and supportive environment for these talented young performers to develop their craft, but also to understand teamwork, commitment and the benefits of hard work.

Congratulations to everyone involved – This was a super production from start to finish.

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