“Sister Act” the musical featuring the talented Lesley Joseph (Birds of a Feather) as Mother Superior and Landi Oshinowo as Deloris Van Cartier (or Sister Mary Clarence) is a divine journey into the world of gangsters, redemption and the power of music. With stellar performances from the cast, catchy tunes and a heart-warming story of a tart with a heart, this production delivers a brilliant evening of entertainment.
Joseph’s portrayal as the Mother Superior is nothing short of exceptional. With comic timing and brilliant facial expressions, she embodies the character’s stern exterior and hidden vulnerability with finesse. Her commanding presence and gritty vocals create a believable transformation as the character grapples with the arrival of Deloris at the convent, allowing Deloris to escape from her gangster married lover.
Landi Oshinowo shines quite literally, as Deloris. This role is a hard one to step into having been played by Whoopi Goldberg in the original movie. Oshinowo’s infectious energy and superb singing talent make Deloris a character you can’t help but love. Her rendition of “Take me to Heaven” and “Sister Act” are showstoppers and her commanding stage presence captivates the audience. Her portrayal of Deloris is infused with humour, heart and a lot of sass.
For me though, the one’s who stole the show were the nuns. Each having a distinctive personality, they had the audience laughing as they boogied and rapped their way through so many numbers. Their comedic timing was first class and their warmth as they took in Sister Mary Clarence and blossomed under her control of the choir was heart-warming.
This is a very talented cast, with acting, singing and dancing and some fantastic cameo roles such as Deloris’ old school chum Eddie (now the precinct cop) played by Alfie Parker had the audience wrapped around his finger. His cheeky and warm personality and rapport with the audience brought a huge cheer at the end. Likewise the ‘smart’ gang members, TJ, Pablo and Joey were fantastic.
My feet were tapping the floor to the rhythmn of the music all evening and I can recommend this show to you. The finale costumes surely had more glitter than that in the Strictly Come Dancing launch show and if nun’s habits were so sparkly in real life, more would take Holy Orders.
Don’t miss the show, but equally don’t expect the songs from the movie. The substitute songs were just as good.
