You have to hand it to the cast and crew of Sister Act; the production arrives in Liverpool this week to bring to an end a marathon tour that began in the summer of 2022. The third different production to tour the UK, it features set and costumes by Morgan Large and choreography by Alistair David.
The first thing to mention is, of course, that this is not a direct translation of the 1992 movie. The book by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner follows the general outline of Joseph Howard’s original story, but the score, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Glenn Slater, was entirely written for this stage musical, originally produced in the West End in 2009.
The convent of The Holy Order of the Little Sisters of Our Mother of Perpetual Faith is in trouble. The building is in a state of disrepair, congregations have dwindled to single figures, and the Mother Superior (Wendi Peters) is desperately trying to find ways to raise the cash to save the convent from closure. Meanwhile, ambitious club singer Deloris Van Cartier (Landi Oshinowo), buoyed by winning a contest, has her plans put on hold when she witnesses her newly-ex boyfriend committing a murder.
Placed in witness protection by her old friend the police desk chief Eddie (Alfie Parker) Deloris goes into hiding as a nun in the convent. Her inability to stop trying to be a star leads Deloris to take charge of the convent choir, much to the chagrin of the Mother Superior. The success of their new singing style soon has the chapel packed to the rafters, and the choir on national TV, with awkward consequences for Deloris.
The book for the stage doesn’t have quite the same charm as the film version, and there are some pretty awkward shifts in gear in the narrative, but where this show really wins is with its excellent score. Menken is an experienced hand at providing a musical journey for the characters in a story, with an impressive catalogue of film and stage musicals, many of them for Disney, and it is the musical arc that he builds through the show that gives it the cohesion of structure that the narrative lacks. It’s a nice touch that he includes both an overture and an entr’acte which are integrated straight into the beginnings of the two acts.
The strong ensemble cast and impressive 8 piece orchestra give everything they’ve got to the big production scenes, but the highlights are in some of the tremendous solos given to the principals. It is easy to forget until she starts to sing that Corrie star Peters is a seasoned musical theatre performer, but she really impresses in several solos, especially ‘Here Within These Walls’ and ‘I Haven’t Got a Prayer’. Parker receives deserved ovations for some of Eddie’s big numbers, in particular ‘I Could Be That Guy’ - there’s a lot of Chicago’s Amos in his characterisation. There are also a few showstoppers for Elouise Runnette as Sister Mary Robert (particularly ‘The Life I Never Led’, which gets two outings). However, it is Oshinowo who really brings the house down with her powerhouse vocals. Obviously the character demands that she ought to be the musical star of the show, but this piece of casting (which follows in the footsteps of the likes of Cynthia Erivo, Alexandra Burke and Beverley Knight) is possibly the highlight of the production.
Large’s stage set is deceptive to begin with, initially seeming to be another of the litany of concentric circle based designs that follow touring shows around, but it reveals a lot of tricks that elevate it into something visually spectacular. Extremely clever integrated lighting and very slick movement transform the space into multiple settings with genuine style.
While the narrative may become a tad saggy in the middle and could still maybe benefit from a trim, the music keeps on coming to the rescue and, by the time we reach the big finale, the show is really packing quite a punch.
Sister Act is at the Liverpool Empire until 5th October.
Star rating: 4 stars
The cast of Sister Act - photo by Mark Senior
This review was originally written for publication by Good News Liverpool
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