MUSICAL
Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Glenn Slater, Book by Cheri Steinkellner & Bill Steinkellner, additional book by Douglas Carter Beane
At Regent Theatre until 26 Jan 2025 (at present)
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: **** (4)
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 16 Nov 2024. KH
Sister Act_CAST_Casey Donovan front- credit_Daniel-Boud
This Melbourne production of Sister Act is a feel-good musical based on the 1992 film with Whoopi Goldberg and Maggie Smith that was set in 1968 and 1992. It is a rollicking musical romp that boldly pokes fun at nuns, the Catholic church, dangerous gangsters and low-level lounge singers.
This musical stage version has original songs and music (music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater) and book (Cheri & Bill Steinkellner) and is a replica of the 2022 West End revival that followed the original production in 2009 on the West End and on Broadway in 2011.
The musical is set in 1977, which changes the tone, the style of music, costumes, language and the cultural references.
Casey Donovan is sassy, brazen and audacious as Deloris van Cartier, a try-hard, minor lounge singer who relies on the support of her gangster boyfriend, Curtis (James Bryers) who owns the nightclub she sings in.
When she witnesses Curtis murder a witness for his upcoming trial, the cop (Raphael Wong as Eddie Souther) leading the investigation hides Deloris in plain sight, in a convent, which is an absurd but strangely plausible location to hide a raunchy lounge singer with gangster connections.
In the quiet, melodic confines of the convent, Deloris becomes Sister Mary Clarence and takes on the seemingly impossible task of taming and training the appallingly tuneless nuns’ choir and transforming them into funky, dancing, singing, funny-nunny entertainment.
Donovan is magnetic and gives a spirited performance as Deloris and the role showcases her powerful, versatile voice with excellent control and range. If you remember she won Australian Idol at 16!
The nuns learn to enjoy singing popular music for the glory of God and their choir medley raises the roof to heaven in Praise of the Lord!
These nuns are a deliciously wacky bunch: Rhonda Burchmore is a hoot as bolshy, old Sister Mary Lazarus; Genevieve Lemon is suitably frosty and conservative as Mother Superior; Sophie Montague is Sister Mary Robert, Bianca Bruce as Sister Mary Patrick, is loud, cheerful and yappy; and Sophie Montague is the sweet and retiring Sister Mary Robert who comes out of her shell.
Raphael Wong, an opera singer who has crossed over to musical theatre, has a fine voice and is charming as Eddie, the cop who has adored Deloris since their shared high school days.
The original songs are an eclectic mix of styles from R and B to Funk and Gospel, with clever lyrics and plenty of religious parody.
The idiotic gangster trio routine is hilarious as they wear silly disguises and sing about how to woo a nun.
Curtis’s violent thug song that is about how he will get that girl, is comical but we almost feel we can’t laugh as it’s so violent to women.
For me, the movie still takes the cake but perhaps that is because of Whoopi and Maggie Smith who will always be my heroes, and because I was in San Francisco when that movie was being filmed in the church outside which I took a bus each day.
By: Kate Herbert.
Cast
Casey Donovan- Deloris Van Cartier
Genevieve Lemon – Mother Superior
Rhonda Burchmore -Sister Mary Lazarus
Sophie Montague – Sister Mary Robert
Bianca Bruce - Sister Mary Patrick
‘Raphael Wong- Eddie Souther
James Bryers – Curtis Jackson
Damien Bermingham – Monsignor O’Hara
Emma Powell - Sister Mary Theresa
Sally Bourne - Sister Mary Martin of Tours
Creative Team
Producer John Frost For Crossroads Live
Music Alan Menken
Lyricist Glenn Slater
Book Writer Cheri Steinkellner
Book Writer Bill Steinkellner
Additional Book Material Douglas Carter Beane
Director Bill Buckhurst
Choreographer Alistair David
Set And Costume Designer Morgan Large
Musical Supervisor Stephen Brooker
Orchestrations Doug Besterman and Mark Cumberland
Lighting Designer Tim Mitchell
Sound Designer Tom Marshall
Wig, Hair and Make-up Designer Sam Cox
Resident Director Eric Giancola
Musical Director Daniel Griffin
No comments:
Post a Comment