Praise be! SISTER ACT: A DIVINE MUSICAL COMEDY has finally made it to the Wales Millennium Centre and let us all kneel down and worship this heavenly show.
I say finally because Covid (there’s a surprise) caused delay after delay, with a few cast changes along the way. But our prayers have finally been been answered and the show opened to a packed Donald Gordon Theatre, with an audience wild with anticipation.
The musical is based on the 1992 film of the same name, which starred the hilarious Whoopi Goldberg. It tells the story of the diva (ish) Vegas type lounge singer Deloris Van Cartier who witnesses her mobster boyfriend commit a murder, in case you’d forgotten it was Harvey Kietel who played him in the movie. To escape him, the police put her in witness protection in probably the last place you’d expect to find a potty-mouth nightclub singer – a convent full of nuns.
If you’ve seen the movie you’ll know exactly where the story is going, but as I mentioned earlier, it has a new, fresh lease of life on stage. The combination of a fantastic cast, with harmonious voices really elevated the show to a heavenly plain.
Setting it in 1977 Philadelphia is actually a touch of genius. There’s something about the ‘Donna Summer‘ disco era which works so well with this show. It also gives them a chance to fill it with glitter and sequins which looks so good in this set.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of the movie, and it did have a few airings over lockdown, surprisingly however, I actually think it works even better on stage. Perhaps it’s the incredible music from Oscar-winning composer ALAN MENKEN, the guy who did Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid) lyrics are by his collaborator GLENN SLATER.
Don’t take my word for it. We spoke to some of the hugely enthusiastic audience at the end of last night’s performance to see what they though of Sister Act.
This is where the stage show is very different. It doesn’t use any of the ‘hit songs‘ in the film, instead, we get new numbers which I guarantee won’t disappoint. The musical soundtrack is every bit as good as that in the movie, in fact I’m hard pressed to remember any of the original tunes as I still have the new ones playing in my head.
Delores, or Sister Mary Clarence as she becomes, is the star of the show, and SANDRA MARVIN delivers a fantastic performance in the role made famous by Whoopi Goldberg. Sandra is best know as Jessie in Emmerdale and Patricia Williams in Call the Midwife (season 10). She is really great fun in the part and boy can she belt out a song. She is everything you’d want in Delores, a bit of swagger, a lot of sass and plenty of sympathy as her character grows.
“Sister Act the Musical is fun and fabulous and will take you to joyous heavenly heights.”
There was a noticeable gasp from the audience when the ever frosty Mother Superior came onto the stage, and why wouldn’t there be. LESLEY JOSEPH who plays her has been on our TV screens as Dorien in Birds of a Feather for nearly 35 years. She also has a pretty impressive stage resume including Shakespeare, Young Frankenstein, and of course a massive helping of Pantomime.
Lesley fills those nuns shoes perfectly, although I did detect a little glint of Dorien in her eyes, and the audience loved it. Lesley is a bit of a show stealer when she’s on stage, you can’t take your eyes off her, she is superb.
You know you’re onto a winner before you take your seat. Absolutely memorable show tunes, particularly the main song ‘Take Me To Heaven‘ sung by Dolores. With BILL BUCKHURST directing and some fantastic choreography from ALISTAIR DAVID which ticks every ‘must-see’ box. There is still something uplifting about watching the nuns dance so precisely in stage.
The set too is spot-on with credit to designer MORGAN LARGE. You hear the words big production used a lot in the theatre, but Sister Act really does feel big, with no expense spared. I hate comparing any show with those we see in London. What we get on tour is every bit as good, and sometimes better. That is definitely the case with Sister Act.
You can see the main part of the set below, it’s all stained glass windows of the convent and fabulous lighting. The stage is filled with sparkle and disco lights and is every changing. There are parts coming in and leaving to move us smoothly along the storyline.
No matter how good a set is, or how perfect those costumes are – and believe me the outfits are next level in this production. It’s what the cast deliver on stage which counts, and Sister Act is a full on company of talented performers.
There’s a few set pieces in the show and one is from Eddie, the cop in the story, played majestically last night by GRAHAM MACDUFF. There’s a brilliant routine which sees him whipping off his uniform to reveal an outfit far removed from his day job. I won’t spoil it too much but as he sang ‘I Could Be That Guy‘, last night’s audience whooped and cheered along to his song. It was heartfelt and filled with disco camp in equal measures.
Delores really doesn’t want to be at the Convent, and to be fair, the convent struggles with her arrival. Once the nuns warm to her, and she sees an opportunity to help the choir achieve greatness, we get some stand-out performances.
EMMA RALSTON slipped into the role of Sister Mary Robert and gave a mighty fine performance. CATHERINE MILLSOM recently made it into the role of the shy, but angelic voiced Sister Mary Patrick.
The cast also includes Jeremy Secomb, Tricia Deighton, Lori Haley Fox, Damian Buhagiar, Tom Hopcroft, Bradley Judge, Tanya Edwards, Anne Smith, Emma Ralston, Jermaine Woods, Michael Ward, Castell Parker and Caroline Bateson.
The bad guys in the picture below are another highlight of this outstanding production. They will have you laughing out loud at their disco-eque routines. Great show guys, you were all brilliant.
There is nothing not to like in this show, which probably accounts for the mad rush for tickets to see it. The music is great, the sets outstanding and the love and friendship coming off the stage is something we all need right now. Oh yes, and those dancing nuns is another reason to get along and see it this week. As they sing so beautifully – ‘It’s Good to be a Nun‘.
People absolutely love the movie and hallelujah, SISTER ACT: A DIVINE MUSICAL COMEDY is equally fun and fabulous and will take you to joyous heavenly heights. It’s very easy to get into the Sister Act habit and it’ll be a hard habit to break once you’ve seen it. We could definitely have another helping of this
It’s at the Wales Millennium Centre through to Saturday 5th November. Performances are at 7:30pm with 2:30pm matinees on Thursday and Saturday. Seats are still available starting at £17:50. To find out more, and get yours, go here. SISTER
Just a little word of warning, it’s showing low availability for all performances, which means you really do have to be quick to get yourself a seat.
You can take a look at our original show feature HERE.