Review: Sister Act

As director Connor Nainthy writes, a huge theme of Sister Act is self-realisation. Our lead is Deloris Van Cartier (Isabel Beresford-Cole), an aspiring star who is forced to join a Convent after having to go into hiding. She builds a close relationship with her fellow nuns with whom she initially has little in common, and in so doing, discovers her own love and respect for the sisters there. Deloris takes on the challenge of teaching the choir how to sing, allowing for the sisters to find their own confidence and passion for music, and even the reluctant Mother Superior (Em Sparkes) eventually learns to embrace change.

Deloris must go into hiding after she witnesses her boyfriend Curtis (Wilf Offord) commit a murder, and our loveable policeman “Sweaty” Eddie (Matthew Weatherhead) helps her seek refuge from Curtis and his gang. Throughout the show, we’re rooting for Deloris and Eddie’s relationship, and Deloris realising that Eddie is the one for her is a really touching moment.

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Isabel Beresford-Cole captures the character of a charismatic diva perfectly, and her singing is of a very high quality. Particularly memorable is the musical number “Raise Your Voice”, where she teaches the nuns how to sing, which leads the sisterhood to great success and culminates in them gaining the attention of the pope. Indeed, there seems to have been a great deal of thought put into the direction of this show, as the musical numbers often involve many characters who are simultaneously acting, singing and dancing. At times the choreography was not completely synchronised, but for a show with so much energy, and which is primarily focused on singing rather than dancing, this isn’t a major problem. The use of live music, led by conductor Eoin Jenkins, adds greatly to this energy and vibrancy, and fits the 70s aesthetic well.

Image credits: Rachel Mitton

Other musical numbers that really stood out were the nuns’ “It’s Good to Be a Nun”, a fun number that also perfectly captures Deloris’ realisation that being a nun isn’t exactly easy. From the nun ensemble, watching the character of Sister Mary Robert (Isobel Guthrie) gain her confidence throughout the show through music and literally ‘find her voice’ was certainly a highlight. The “Lady in the Long Black Dress”, performed by Joey (Felix Kind), Pablo (Isa del Solar) and TJ (Louis Davidson), was also a great number, getting some really big laughs from the audience.

For some of the musical performances, the American accents did not come through clearly, although generally the singing was to a very high standard. At times the acting can be rather over-the-top, having a pantomime feel to it (particularly the chase scene involving Curtis’ gang), but for a musical theatre production this is somewhat to be expected.

The set, designed by Holly Varndell, consisted of colourful large stained-glass windows suspended at the back of the stage to signify the religious setting, combined with LED strip lights to create a cool, technicolour effect during certain parts of the show. Other than this, the set is fairly basic, but this can be attributed to the amount of floor space required for such a large cast.

Image credits: Rachel Mitton

There was also clearly a lot of thought put into the costumes by Costume Lead Dan Mills, from the gold jumpsuits to the nuns’ sparkly purple habits. A personal favourite was Curtis’ white and red suit, which just worked so well with the character’s personality. Overall, the set, lighting, music and costuming really brought the world of 1970s disco-fever to life, and the audience couldn’t get enough of it.

On opening night, Sister Act was fully sold out, and it is not surprising: it’s a fun and heartwarming story brought to life by a talented cast and crew. From start to finish, Sister Act was a joy to watch, and it really does give you that Sunday Morning Fever!

4/5

Sister Act was showing at the ADC Theatre from Tue 5th – Sat 9th November.