Sister Act

Exeter Musical Society can be justly proud of this production of "Sister Act". From beginning to end, it was slick, had a lively pace and was a sheer delight to watch.

Kat Brooks as "Deloris" had the looks, the energy and vitality that is needed for this role. The opening scene in the nightclub, set the tone with the slightly sleazy setting and the gyrating performances of Deloris and her back-up singers (in hopes of a lucrative contract).
Joe Greenhalgh, the nasty gangster boyfriend "Curtis Jackson" did well and it became obvious what a nasty piece of work he was, with no intention of fulfilling his promises to Deloris and even giving her a coat belonging to his wife, as a present. TJ, Joey and Pablo made a truly wonderful trio as the comically villainous henchmen and performed their musical numbers well, especially “Lady and the long black dress”
Eddie Souther played by James Billington, gave a great and empathetic performance, especially with his show stopper of a song "I Could Be That Guy" sung with real feeling. The costume change in scene 10 was done so slickly it almost became an illusion. Extremely good!  
Mother Superior (Penny Daw) played the part with sensitivity and sang with conviction, although at the beginning of her appearance, there was a slight temptation to overplay the comedy of her meeting with Deloris (always funnier when played dead straight ) Her song "Within These Walls"  was beautifully performed and she grew in stature as the show progressed.
Sister Mary Robert (Molly Emmerson) did well and her rendition of "The Life I Never Led" was very moving.
Monsignor O’Hara (Adrian Fox) did well in this role and the decision to camp up the role, largely worked  ,a good performance.
Sister Mary Patrick, Sister Mary Lazarus, Sister Mary Martin-of-Tours and Sister Mary Theresa all did   fantastic jobs and were very amusing, particularly when in an alien environment in the bar.
The sets were excellent, along with the costumes. The choreography was extremely well done and the many rehearsals certainly paid dividends. The Chorus was very versatile, moving from playing nuns to shabby and desolate homeless people, then to chorus line style all accompanied by superb singing. Well done Mai-Lin!
The Orchestra under the baton of the experienced Simon Carter did its usual superb job.
Good direction and patience made this a most enjoyable show and Joe McNulty should be justly proud of “Sister Act.” He has given the audiences from Exeter and beyond, a show to remember
Congratulations to all concerned, I look forward to your next production "Fiddler on the Roof". Bring it on!

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