Review by Tim Garratt
It’s hard to believe it’s been over 30 years since Sister Act first appeared on cinema screens. The Whoopi Goldberg-led musical comedy was one of the highest grossing films of 1992, earning US$231.6 million (A$351.2 million) at the box office worldwide. A sequel quickly followed the next year, and now, decades later, a third film is in development.
In 2006, the musical theatre iteration of Sister Act premiered in Pasadena, California, before making its debut on London’s West End (in 2009) and on Broadway (in 2012). Rumours of its arrival on Australian stages have swirled for years, and in 2024, it’s finally playing in Sydney, kicking off a national tour at the Capitol Theatre.
In Sister Act, Deloris (Casey Donovan) is an aspiring singer with a gangster boyfriend (James Bryers), who’s disappointed her for the last time. When Deloris goes to break up with him, she finds him and his henchmen (Jordan Angelides, Tom Struik and James Bell) executing a suspected informant. Fearing for her life, she runs to the police, and the desk chief, Eddie (Raphael Wong), tells her she’ll need to go into hiding, and for her safety, he takes Deloris to a convent.
When she arrives at the Convent of Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow, Deloris receives a hostile welcome from the Mother Superior (Genevieve Lemon) and struggles to adapt to the cloistered life of the sisters. But by taking the reins of the convent’s choir, she finds a way to use her musical talents, helping the sisters to unlock their potential and learning a thing or two about herself in the process.
Sister Act is a classic film, and its adaptation for the stage is a surprising success. Some aspects are starkly different; the music from the 1992 movie is replaced by original songs composed by Alan Menken (lyrics by Glenn Slater), and the action has moved from modern day Reno to Philadelphia in the 1970s. That change in time and setting works well for two reasons: firstly, it lends itself naturally to a score inspired by disco (a movement that originated on the US East Coast during that time); secondly, it was a transformative period for the Catholic Church, when nuns were forced to grapple with profound change.
Penned by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner, Sister Act’s book isn’t a word-for-word replica of the film; there are some good zingers added throughout and some worthy themes foregrounded, including the power of community, and the importance of seizing opportunities. Dimension is added to some of the characters – Eddie expresses a yearning for there to be more to his life, while Sister Mary Robert (Sophie Montague) questions the path she’s chosen. And while its first act packs more of a punch than its second (some scenes in the second act slip into slapstick territory), the overall experience (directed by Bill Buckhurst) is hugely uplifting and enjoyable.
Critical to making this such a positive experience is Donovan’s star turn. She’s chalked up several musical theatre credits in recent years, but this is easily her best performance to date. It’s a performance that channels Bette Midler’s energy and comedic timing, and that gives us a Deloris that is witty, sassy, larger than life and immensely likeable. And then there’s that voice. Already well known for her vocal power, Donovan soars here in song, showcasing impressive control and range, and making all her numbers sound effortless. She anchors this production.
Lemon, too, is excellent, as the haughty and outwardly hardened Mother Superior, privately harbouring deep concerns for the sisters’ welfare. As Mary Lazarus, the cranky ousted choir leader, Rhonda Burchmore has some terrific moments of comedy, as does Bianca Bruce playing the unfailingly cheery Sister Mary Patrick. Damien Bermingham also plays a key role in ratcheting up the comedy as Monsignor O’Hara, a supporter of Deloris’s choir revamp, while Bryers shines as Deloris’s brash, sleezy and thuggish boyfriend, Curtis, demonstrating his own comedic chops. Wong earns our sympathy and our laughs as the discounted good guy, while Montague convinces as the young postulant facing an existential crisis.
Menken melds the signature sounds of the disco era with gospel and Broadway, making for an upbeat score that sounds wonderful, performed by musical director Daniel Griffin and his eight-piece band. Morgan Large’s set offers a visually appealing rendering of each location, particularly paired with Tim Mitchell’s vibrant lighting, and Tom Marshall’s sound design is bright.
It’s taken several years for Sister Act to hit the stage in Australia, but Donovan and this talented team have made it worth the wait. Proving that opportunities can arise where you least expect them, the show offers a night of great entertainment that should leave even the cynics in high spirits.
John Frost for Crossroads Live in association with Jamie Wilson present Sister Act
Now playing at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney
Regent Theatre, Melbourne from November 2024
Lyric Theatre, QPAC from February 2025
Adelaide Festival Centre from March 2025
Perth’s Crown Theatre from April 2025
TICKETS ON SALE NOW. For further information, visit www.sisteractthemusical.com.au or follow on facebook and Instagram @sisteractmusicalau
This production originally produced in the UK by Jamie Wilson.
Photo credit: Daniel Boud
