The weather may not have been at it’s best yesterday but when SISTER ACT: A DIVINE MUSICAL COMEDY burst onto the stage at the Swansea Grand for its first performance, the heavens opened and a ray of light shone down on us all.
The show has been doing the rounds for a few years now, having been on tour pretty much since the end of COVID, and the reason is a simple one – it is absolutely brilliant. As if any proof was needed the TWO standing ovations last night pretty much says it all.
We have seen this production a few times so there will be elements of previous reviews which don’t change (set, music etc).
The story most of us know by now, thanks to a couple of hugely successful movies with Whoopi Goldberg, and while the elements we all know and love are there, the stage show is different, and for me, is all the better for it.
It tells the story of the diva (ish) Vegas type lounge singer Deloris Van Cartier (LANDI OSHINOWO) who witnesses her mobster boyfriend Curtis (IAN GARETH-JONES) commit a murder. 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.
Like most of us, I’m a huge fan of the movie, surprisingly however, I actually think it works even better on stage. As I mentioned, we’ve reviewed this show a few times over the last couple of years and each time we leave the theatre with the same opinion. 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.
This however, is where the stage show is very different. It doesn’t use any of the ‘hit songs‘ (apart from that one) 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.
As you read the rest of this review you can take a listen to the soundtrack below……
Delores, or Sister Mary Clarence as she becomes, is the star of the show, and Landi delivers a fantastic performance in the role made famous by Whoopi Goldberg. She is really great fun in the part and boy can she belt out a song. She’s 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.”
It’s always nice to watch the audience react when a familiar TV face comes onto the stage and there was a noticeable nod and pointing when the ever frosty Mother Superior entered. WENDI PETERS is familiar to most of us as Cilla in Coronation Street and Nina in BBC’s Doctors. but in a matter of seconds those characters were gone and we were fully invested in her stage persona.
Wendi fills those nuns shoes perfectly, and a real show-stealer when she’s on stage, 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 on 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 ever 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 by ALFIE PARKER. 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.
ELOISE RUNNETTE gives a mighty fine performance as Sister Mary Robert and ISABEL CANNING carries the role of the shy, but angelic voiced Sister Mary Patrick perfectly.
The cast also includes Julie Stark, Phillip Arran, Kate Powell, Jayne Ashley, Elliot Gooch, Michalis Antoniou, Callum Martin, Harvey Ebbage, Esme Lauday, Amber Kennedy, Joseph Connor, Ceris Hine, Corrine Priest, Sheri Lineham and Samuel John-Humphreys.
One of the other real gems of a set piece features the bad guys in the picture below and very much another highlight of this outstanding production. They will have you laughing out loud at their disco-eqsue routines. Great show guys, you were all brilliant.
There is nothing not to like in this show. 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‘.
There’s no doubt there’s a lot of love for the movie but I can tell you that 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
SISTER ACT: A DIVINE MUSICAL COMEDY is at Swansea Grand through to Saturday 28th September. Performances are at 7:30pm each evening with a 2:30pm matinee on Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets range from £32 to £53 and you can get yours HERE.
Just a little word of warning, it’s showing low availability for some of the 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 and interview with Wendi Peters, HERE.
