The award-winning classic Sister Act is part of a long list of films in recent history that have seen success in their on-stage retelling, including Waitress, Once, Shrek and soon-to-be Mean Girls. Sister Act: The Musical is embarking on its third UK tour with 14 shows at the Bristol Hippodrome this March, directed by Bill Buckhurst.
Based on the 1992 hit film starring Whoopi Goldberg, the musical reimagines the plot during the height of the Studio 54 era when disco was spreading from New York City across the US. When Philadelphia nightclub singer Deloris Van Cartier (Sanda Marvin) witnesses Curtis Jackson, her gangster lover (Jeremy Secomb) kill a man, she’s guised as a nun in a convent for her own protection. All the while, the convent is crumbling and up for sale due to dwindling funds.
Sister Act features original music by Tony and eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken (Disney’s Aladdin, Enchanted) with songs inspired by Motown, soul and disco. This flashy production - on tour around more than 20 cities until 2024 - is full of glitter, glamour and good times.
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On Tuesday night’s performance (March 7), Marvin’s convivial nature was spellbinding as the easy-going, outrageous Deloris. At times, her beautiful voice was eclipsed by the powerful orchestra while singing at some of the lower ranges, but the levels seemed to become rectified by the second act.
Birds of a Feather star Lesley Joseph shone as the stern, archaic leader of the convent, Mother Superior, who fears Deloris’ cosmopolitan ways will corrupt the sisters when she takes over as choirmaster and help the nuns find their voices. No stranger to comedy, Joseph was hilariously strict and dry in her portrayal and matched the beautiful harmonies in ‘Here Within These Walls’ as well as delivering a pleasing solo for ‘I Haven’t Got A Prayer’ in Act 2.
The story was slow starting in the first half, with stand-out belters from Clive Rowe - recognisable to some from his Tracy Beaker days but now has a fully-fledged stage career. He played ‘Steady’ Eddie Souther, a sweet yet unremarkable police officer who reveals his affections for Deloris, and has one of the most impressive on-stage costume changes and set designs that I’ve ever seen (namecheck the ingenious work of the West End’s Morgan Large).
It did climax before the interval with a satisfying choir rendition of ‘Take Me To Heaven’, where the nuns’ voices entice people from the streets to join the congregation, marking the start of the convent’s revival. Act 2 regained a near-perfect pace helped by a hilarious rendition of ‘Lady In The Long Black Dress’ led by Curtis’ cronies expertly played by Damian Buhagiar, Tom Hopcroft and Bradley Judge.
Shining solo performances also came from Lizzie Bea who played the rebellious Sister Mary Robert with passion and likeability, with an unparallelled singing range that flourished in ‘The Life I Never Led’. She strikes up an unlikely friendship with Deloris, whose delicious charm wins the hearts of the other sisters as well as the audience.
It was everything a musical should be: hilarious, heartwarming and wonderfully camp. A standing ovation on a Tuesday night at the Bristol Hippodrome is no mean feat.
The story of Sister Act is fictitious, despite several failed lawsuits attempting to prove otherwise, but carries an important, takeaway message - that love and acceptance can be found in the most unexpected places.
Sister Act is at Bristol Hippodrome until March 18. Tickets are priced from £13 and runtime is 2 hours 30 minutes incl. Interval. Bristol Hippodrome is at St Augustine’s Parade Bristol BS1 4UZ.
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