I’m of the generation where the film ‘Sister Act’ sits firmly as one of my all-time favourites. The sass of Whoopi Goldberg mixed with funky disco beats waging war on the oppressive life of a nunnery made for a whole pew full of fun.
When I first heard this show coming on tour 3 years ago I jumped at the chance to watch it and rekindle the magic it brought to my youth. A global pandemic put it on hold and the years since had only made me more excited to see the production.
For those who haven’t been fortunate enough to see the film, the story focuses on ambitious night-club singer Dolores, who upon accidentally being witness to seeing her gangster boyfriend shoot someone dead, is placed in hiding by the police until she stands trial. She is hidden somewhere that no one would think to look; a rundown nunnery with a broken roof and declining congregation. Clearly destined to be at odds with the austere way of life in a nunnery, Dolores finds her calling when given the task of transforming the nuns’ questionable choir. It is here that she discovers that friendship and support is more important than being in the showbusiness spotlight.
In terms of energy and thumping disco beats, this musical had everything it promised. The orchestra was outstanding and they captured the 1970’s Philadelphia backdrop brilliantly. Dolores, played by Sandra Marvin, had the required stunning voice, her powerful, belting tone filling the whole theatre. The dance moves were pastiche and well choregraphed and the sparkling costumes added a layer of glitz to the show.
I have to say though, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed that there wasn’t a single song from the original film in the production. Normally I would listen to a soundtrack before a show but I felt confident I would know many of the songs: how wrong I was! Gone were the classic tunes of ‘My Guy’ and ‘I Will Follow Him’. The numbers that replaced them were suitably ‘disco’ in style but none of the melodies stayed with me and ended up merging into one unremarkable song. The songs that I did enjoy the most were those that moved away from disco into the more traditional ‘Musical Theatre’ genre, especially ‘The Life I Never Had’ and ‘How I Got The Calling’, performed hilariously by the chorus of nuns. These were clever and created variety, and were more in keeping with the high quality of music we’ve come to expect from composer Alan Meken, famous for writing musicals such as ‘Beauty & the Beast’, ‘Aladdin’ and ‘Little Shop of Horrors.
The chorus of nuns was certainly the high point of the show, adding individual personalities and depth. Lizzie Bea, who performed the young trainee nun Sister Mary Robert, stole the show with her believable character development and absolutely amazing voice, causing the audience to explode into applause at her astonishingly long held note in Act 2. It was in the scenes with the nuns where some of the magic from the film was seen; the camaraderie and innocent humour.
Many people will probably have bought tickets in the hope of seeing Lesley Joseph of ‘Birds of a Feather’ fame play the role of Mother Superior. Unfortunately, she was taken till just as the show was about to start and so she was quickly replaced by understudy Lori Haley Fox. This change in no way seemed to affect the show and indeed Mother Superior was a standout character, especially in her aforementioned solo ‘The Life I Never Had’. Massive congratulations must go to Lori Haley Fox for creating a polished and powerful performance with such little notice.
Although the male performers had moments of brilliance, especially the 2nd half of ‘Lady in the Long Black Dress’, I couldn’t help but find their roles a little too gimmicky, like something out of a pantomime.
One point that I want to mention, which I feel is important, is the concept of diversity within a performance. I mentioned back in October how refreshing it was to see a whole range of body types on stage for ‘South Pacific’, traditionally a very rare thing in Musical Theatre. However, ‘Sister Act’ pushed this to whole new level, and the true range of shapes and sizes was a delight to see. It’s fantastic to see how an industry that has often been notorious for its obsession with looks and creating the perfect image is starting to embrace the diversity we see in our everyday lives. It’s a great role model for children, showing them that however you look, whatever your background, the theatre is for everyone. There’s still a long way to go for this to be true in the theatre industry as a whole, but at least this is one production that has made a positive step forward.
The songs were lively, the band outstanding, the energy gripping. I would highly recommend seeing this show: just don’t rewatch the film beforehand and do go there with as much of an open mind as possible, taking it as an entirely new entity: for nothing could quite have the same amazing songs as the original film, or the sass and charisma of Whoopi Goldberg. And it would be wrong for you to expect them to.
Sister Act – at Leeds Grand Theatre until 1 April.
Photography by Manuel Harlan.
