⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A superb show. Second to nun.
Based on the iconic 1992 movie starring Whoopie Goldberg, this fun musical is filled with glitz, comedy, dance, impressive vocals and plenty of messages including how important friendship and sisterhood is.
For those unfamiliar with the story, it follows Deloris (Sandra Marvin), a wannabe famous singer whose life takes a rather surprising turn when she witnesses something that she shouldn’t from behind a dustbin.
Placed in protective custody by Eddie (Clive Rowe), Deloris is hidden in the one place that nobody would think to look for her – a convent, under the eyes of the rather stern and grumpy Mother Superior (Lesley Joseph).
It is here, within the convent that Deloris helps her fellow Sisters learn to sing and between them, they develop an unbreakable bond.
Sister Act: A Divine Musical Comedy is a real feel good show that warms your soul up on a chilly autumn evening.
The cast were super. I was excited to see Sandra Marvin perform the lead role after seeing her perform in the UK Tour of Waitress here at Birmingham Hippodrome earlier this year. Sandra has an outstanding voice and I heard a gentleman in the row behind me say to a lady, “Ay she got a great voice” which in local dialect is “Hasn’t she got a great voice” and I really wanted to turn around and agree. Sandra holds her own as the lead star and really deserves her place on that stage.
Clive Rowe had me giggling away as Eddie Souther. A pro on the stage and TV and the holder of an Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor in Guys and Dolls (1997). Clive has the acting and singing perfected and his charisma shone through during his performance.
Lesley Joseph plays Mother Superior and only had to start speaking, for some of the audience to break into laughter. Although a personal fan of Lesley myself (and I should add that I thoroughly enjoyed her parts), I do wonder if her role had a more pantomime feel to what could be a quite polished musical if it was played by someone who acted as Mother Superior and not as Lesley Joseph.
Lizzie Bea is a rising star and I thought her take on Sister Mary Robert was fabulous. Vocals that were breathtaking and I believe we will be seeing Lizzie in a lot of big stage performances in the future. The nuns as a whole were superb. Plenty of comedy moments and great vocals made them a delight to watch.
And finally, Damian Buhagiar as Pablo deserves a shout out for his fabulous dancing and choreography. Superb work. His stage presence was very much there.
The stage is carefully created with a brilliant use of lightning giving lots of glitz and glam for the evening.
If you want to see a show that will make you laugh, want to sing along and send you home feeling like you’ve conquered the world. Sister Act is the one for you.
On until Saturday 15th October 2022. Buy tickets here; https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/calendar/sister-act/