Sister Act - A Divine Musical Comedy

Did you hear that the highly anticipated Broadway and UK hit musical Sister Act is on tour? After two years of disruption, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the musical is raising the curtain, bringing all of us this joyous show to many venues across the UK and Ireland…and the first stop of the show is The Grand Opera House in Belfast! Sister Act did play in the West End way back in 2009 and on Broadway in 2011. It features original music by Tony and Oscar winner Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater, and a book by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner with additional book material by Douglas Carter Beane.

Having been first scheduled to run in 2020, COVID–19 saw theatres across the country shut down. The original plan was that Whoopi Goldberg would be the star of the show, branded with her own style of comedy, of course. When the production was still in the pre-production stages, the producer of Sister Act, Jamie Wilson, met with Whoopi over in America. She then agreed to be the co-producer and be very hands-on with this project because she liked Wilson's vision that much. She also wanted to give the audience what they had been wanting – to be Deloris Van Cartier. Having previously done a stint as Mother Superior in the show’s first West End run, rewrites of the script were now afoot to make the character older and fit Whoopi better. Unfortunately, things did not play out in this exact way. 

If you have not watched the original film or the musical, you can still go ahead and enjoy it without worrying that you will not catch the essence of the musical. But what is Sister Act all about? Disco diva Deloris’ life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a murder. Placed in protective custody, she is hidden in the one place she should not be found – a convent! Encouraged to help the struggling choir, she helps her fellow sisters find their true voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own. 

Sister Act 2022 brings us much closer to the original West End production, the story being inspired by the 92’ film. There are some fantastic musical numbers including – Raise Your Voice, Spread the Love Around, The Life I Never Lead and let's not forget Mother Superior’s I Haven’t Got a Prayer. The whole cast is simply stunning – Mother Superior is played by Lesley Joseph, best known for playing Dorien Green in the Sitcom “Birds of a Feather,” Deloris is played by Sandra Marvin proving herself as a vocal powerhouse and comedienne and sister Mary Robert is played by Lizzie Bea.

The whole set is filled with glitz, sequined gloss thanks to being transported to the 70’s. A definite favourite are the sequined nuns, so colourful and fun to watch making you grin from ear to ear. The cast were full of energy and sang exceptionally. Some hardcore fans may be annoyed that the original songs are just missing, but that didn't bother me in the slightest -all songs were uplifting and humorous. There are a lot of surprises up their sleeve when it comes to 1970’s clothing with some great comedy moments in the costume designs and I cannot wait for everyone to go and see for themselves. 

Sister Act truly deserves all the praise it gets. I just cannot find any cons – it is full of colour, humour and sentiment that just leaves you with a smile and a feel-good feeling. If the musical is coming to your city, do yourself a favour and see it– until next time SISTER ACT!   

 

🎵 SISTER ACT 2024 Tour just announced 🎵



Location: United Kingdom

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