The King’s Theatre transforms itself into the majestic, and slightly crumbling, holy convent as we prepare to be left in stitches from laughter with sore cheeks from smiling at this incredible production of ‘Sister Act’. Disco diva Deloris’ life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a murder. Placed under protective custody she is hidden in the one place she shouldn’t be found – a convent! Encouraged to help the struggling choir, she helps her fellow sisters find their true voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own.
The directing from Bill Buckhurst is fantastic. He had a clear journey and vision for the story, knowing how to balance some serious moments in the plot with some hilarious comedy and it all blended very well together. Everything from the blocking to the minor details and subtlety was very well executed.
Choreographer Alistair David smashed his role and executed some very nice choreo. There was a lovely balance in routines, more of a modest, simplistic routine for the nuns which still looks slick, and a more elevated devised routine for the ensemble to elevate the numbers. This was a very smart and brilliant way to divide and conquer a great choreography plan.
Set Designer Morgan Large and Light Designer Tim Mitchell both had a massive helping hand in creating the world of Sister Act in Philadelphia and captivating the audience in the world on stage. Large’s set was incredible. The set looked so grand and was carefully thought out enough that it wasn’t difficult at all to transition between settings and give both a decrepit look and royal look at different times. This was a great job done by Large. Mitchell’s lighting added a lot of the atmosphere and pizzazz during the numbers and even the spotlight use was spot on during musical numbers and prayer.
Special shout-out to Musical Director Neil MacDonald who conducted a very good band that never missed a beat all show and also for MacDonald having a small cameo appearance as Pope Paul VI for the finale – very funny touch.
Lesley Joseph as Mother Superior was truly a match made in heaven. Coming out to a triumphant wave of applause and cheers from the audience, Joseph showed everyone why she is the amazing talent everyone knows her for. From her comedic timing, whether it be body language or subtle one liners and delivery of dialogue, she never failed to make the audience laugh. She played the slight frailty and vulnerability of Mother Superior perfectly, crossing it over with the child-like celebrations and “pettiness”. Joseph’s singing was great and fitted the character nicely with the recitative style to it at times. Joseph kept the audience entertained and howling laughing and it was a fantastic performance.
Sandra Marvin is an absolute megastar. Her portrayal of Deloris Van Cartier was everything you wanted it to be and more! From comedy to powerhouse vocals, Marvin had it all. Her acting skills were on point from start to finish, landing every emotion, both serious and comedic. Every joke landed with ease and Marvin was excellent at getting a laugh out of seemingly a simple filler line. Marvin’s energy was at the highest level throughout the whole performance and this forced the rest of the cast to stay at her level the whole time, bringing such life to the show. During the start of ‘Fabulous Baby’ (which is an absolute classic) it did seem as though Marvin’s breath control might have been slightly off, maybe due to excitement or adrenaline, however this was quickly corrected smartly by Marvin and she managed to deliver a fantastic rendition.
Lizzie Bea as Sister Mary Robert was incredible. Her emotional, character journey was evident from the start and was executed beautifully. Bea was a mixed bag of tricks, she had everything from comedic timing, to characterisation, to emotional execution, to unbelievable vocals. Her turning point during and after ‘The Life I Never Led’ showed Bea’s vulnerability and had the audience glued to stage with the eye-watering number. Overall a very strong, stand out performance.
Jeremy Secomb had an amazing portrayal of Curtis Jackson. Secomb had a very nice balance of comedy and intimidation as the hot headed gangster. The rendition of ‘When I Find My Baby’ was the perfect embodiment of Secomb’s characterisation. The upbeat love melody and choreography with the increasingly violent lyrics was a hilarious mix of emotions for the audience and really lended to the persona.
Damian Buhagiar (Pablo), Tom Hopcroft (Joey) and Bradley Judge (TJ) were an incredible trio and brought an extra burst of life to the show at points. All three actors had a great, captivating energy with some on point comedic dialogue and had amazing chemistry with each other which really showed in their interactions. The song Lady in the Long Black Dress was a major highlight of the musical. The number had the audience in stitches and almost gained a standing ovation of its own. Everything from the lyrics, great character vocals, to the stage presence and choreography was nailed by each of the characters, down to a T.
Graham MacDuff was a fan favourite in his performance as Eddie Souther. MacDuff had a very good well-rounded performance, having a solid understanding of “Steady” Eddie and knowing exactly what his character journey entails. MacDuff was hilarious, vulnerable and built up to his superhero moment perfectly with his delivery and the foreshadowing in the script. I Could be That Guy was a fantastic cultivation of Eddie’s character and MacDuff was excellent in his portrayal. His double costume tear-away reveal from suit, into a lycra disco one piece, back into another suit was phenomenal and was a personal highlight!
Rhys Owen as Monsignor O’Hara went from sombre and selling the church to ecstatic and the church choir’s number one fan. His physical comedy was hilarious throughout and was able to create his own moments with slightly less stage time which is what amazing acting is all about.
Catherine Millsom as Sister Mary Patrick was a powerhouse performer. Her voice was phenomenal and her stage presence was fantastic. Millsom knew exactly what she wanted for the character and her execution was spot on.
Anne Smith was so funny as Sister Mary Lazarus. Her delivery and timing of jokes and comedic dialogue was next to none, never missing a beat and nailing each and every moment. Smith had great energy and brought others energy up to her level with her projection and physicality. Her physical comedy was one of the best out of the cast, using anything and everything she could think of to land the joke and she never failed.
Speaking of physical comedy, Lori Haley Fox was a clear fan favourite as Sister Mary Martin of Tours. Fox was the epitome of physical comedy throughout the show. She never really had much to say, however, still managed to get possibly the most laughs from the audience just by her facial and physical expression. From her stiff dancing to glazed over eyes and somewhat unsettling smile, Fox had such a great understanding of her character and never veered from her vision.
Tricia Deighton as Sister Mary Theresa gave some excellent one liners and added a great gateway for comedy and also some care and love. Deighton was a great performer and showcased her skill set very well, even surprising the audience with a little bit of a jig dance during Bless Our Show.
The rest of the ensemble – consisting of; Tanya Edwards, Gabrielle Davina Smith, Castell Parker, Emma Ralston, Jermaine Woods, Michael Ward, Larissa Alexandrovnia and Chloe Hopcroft, were invaluable to the success of Sister Act. The ensemble helped create the atmosphere and transition very quickly and smoothly between scenes and setting. As well as having very good singing vocals, the cameos from some of them – for example, Castell Parker as Clemont etc. – were all very well done and always added something and never felt just…there. Very talented cast as a whole.
Sister Act will blow you away and you will leave in pain from laughing! From start to finish it is a very well crafted, theatre powerhouse with something for everyone – comedy, love and singing nuns. A show you really don’t want to miss!
Get tickets here – https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/sister-act
Theatre Scotland 
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