Sister Act

Synopsis

West End

Act 1

In Philadelphia, the Mother superior declares that the convent is in need (Prologue) before Deloris Van Cartier, crowned 'Lady Fabulous' of 1978, is seen performing in the night club run by her gangster boyfriend Curtis Shank ("Take Me to Heaven"). Deloris is overjoyed as she believes her boyfriend is going to introduce her to a record producer on that day (her birthday), although she soon learns that this is not to be. Hurt and frustrated, Deloris goes to her backup singers KT and LaRosa, about her dreams of stardom and fame ("Fabulous, Baby!"). She decides to break up with Shank and head out of Philadelphia to go fulfill her dreams on her own. However she gets to Shank just in time to see him and his crew made up of nephew TJ, Bones, and Dinero, shoot someone who they believe has "squealed" about them to the cops. Horrified, Deloris runs away and Shank orders his men to get her and bring her back. Deloris runs to a police station and tells the desk chief, Eddie, about what happened. The two recognize each other as old friends from school with Deloris calling him "Sweaty Eddie". Eddie decides that Deloris needs to go into the witness protection program and sends her to the place he believes Shank will never find her - a convent called The Holy Order of the Little Sisters of Our Mother of Perpetual Faith.

Deloris is disappointed by this idea as she learns from the Mother superior that contact with the outside world is limited, and that she cannot smoke, drink, or wear any of her less than appropriate clothing ("Here Within These Walls"). Deloris joins the other nuns for dinner and after several comedic interactions with the overly perky Sister Mary Patrick, Deloris discovers how the other nuns got their "calling" from the Lord ("How I Got the Calling"). They then ask Deloris to share her story with them and she lies.

Meanwhile, back in his nightclub, Shank is frustrated that he cannot find Deloris anywhere. He tells his goons how he will not stop until he finds and kills Deloris ("When I Find My Baby"). Back at the convent Deloris is bored by the simple life of the nuns and decides to hit the town. She goes across the street to a slinky bar, and is followed by Sister Mary Lazarus, Sister Mary Patrick, and Sister Mary Robert. When the three nuns arrive they are shocked to find Sister Mary Clarence (Deloris' undercover name) drinking and dancing, however they assume that she is attempting to save the lost souls in the bar. Deloris goes along with this idea and gets the whole bar dancing ("Do the Sacred Mass"). However, the joyful mood is quickly destroyed when Deloris recognises Shank's boys entering the bar. She tries to hide herself as they ask people in the bar if they've seen Deloris. Suddenly there is a fight in the bar which has to be broken up by Eddie and the Mother superior, who orders the nuns to go back to the convent. She then confronts Deloris telling her that she must conform to the life of the nuns. Eddie agrees, telling Deloris that Shank has upped the price on her head, so she needs to be careful. Deloris storms back to the convent after being informed that she has to wake up at 5 a.m. and join the choir. Eddie, now alone with only the drunks and homeless on the street, sings of his desire to be cool, to let go, and impress Deloris ("I Could Be That Guy").

Broadway

Act 1

On Christmas Eve, Deloris Van Cartier is performing for her gangster boyfriend Curtis Jackson in the night club he owns ("Take Me to Heaven"). Deloris is overjoyed as she believes her boyfriend is going to introduce her to a record producer on that day, although she soon learns that this is not to be. Jackson tells her he cannot join her for Christmas Day, but gives her a coat, which she discovers belonged to his wife. Hurt and frustrated, Deloris sings to her backup singers, Michelle and Tina, about her dreams of stardom and fame ("Fabulous, Baby!"). She decides to break up with Jackson to fulfill her dreams on her own, but gets to him just in time to see him and his crew shoot Ernie, who they believe has "squealed" about them to the cops.

Horrified, Deloris runs to a police station and tells the desk chief, Eddie, about what happened. Eddie decides that Deloris needs to go into the witness protection program and sends her to the place he believes Jackson will never find her - a convent. When she arrives, Deloris is upset to learn from the Mother superior that contact with the outside world is limited, and that she cannot smoke, drink, or wear any of her own clothing ("Here Within These Walls"). Deloris, introduced as "Sister Mary Clarence," joins the other nuns for dinner and discovers just how much is limited when she is a nun ("It’s Good to Be A Nun"). Deloris asks them about what they are missing, and the Mother superior makes Deloris go on a fast.

Back in his nightclub, Jackson is frustrated that he cannot find Deloris anywhere. He tells his "crew," Joey, TJ, and Pablo, how he will not stop until he finds and kills Deloris ("When I Find My Baby"). Deloris, hungry from the fast, leaves the convent and goes to a bar across the street, where Joey, TJ, and Pablo are eating. She is followed by two nuns, Sister Mary Patrick and Sister Mary Robert, who realize what life is like outside the convent. Joey almost recognizes Deloris when he gives her money for the jukebox, but dismisses it. When a drag queen enters in a similar outfit to Deloris' opening costume, Joey, TJ, and Pablo try to stop her and get into a fight, giving Deloris, Sister Mary Patrick, and Sister Mary Robert a chance to escape.

At the convent, Eddie confronts Deloris, telling her that she needs to be more careful, and the Mother superior informs her that she join the choir the following day. Deloris storms off, and Eddie, now alone with only the drunks and homeless on the street, sings of his desire to be cool, to let go, and impress Deloris ("I Could Be That Guy").

Productions

Original productions in Pasadena and Atlanta

The musical premiered at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California on October 24, 2006, and closed on December 23, 2006. It broke records, grossing $1,085,929 to become the highest grossing show ever at the venue. Patina Miller, who would later go on to play Deloris when the show opened in London, was in the ensemble and understudied the role of Deloris, which was originated in the musical by Dawnn Lewis.

The musical was directed by Peter Schneider, developed by Schneider and Michael Reno, choreographed by Marguerite Derricks, with set design by David Potts, costumes by Garry Lennon, lighting by Donald Holder, and sound by Carl Casella and Dominick Sack.

Charles McNulty of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the musical has "Broadway blockbuster written all over it," and Laurence Vittes described it as "hugely entertaining... likely to become a classic" in The Hollywood Reporter. Jonas Schwartz of Theatremania.com was less enthusiastic, saying it "suffers from a bit of an identity crisis."

The production then moved to the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, where it ran from January 17 to February 25, 2007. The cast included Dawnn Lewis as Deloris, Elizabeth Ward Land as the Mother Superior, Harrison White as Curtis, and Beth Malone as Sister Mary Robert.

Curt Holman, writing for the Atlanta-based website CreativeLoafing.com, described it as "a whiplash-inducing experience of genuinely clever and exuberant flourishes alternating with cringe-inducing embarrassments.... The weakest parts of Sister Act tend to be the most faithful moments to the film, which makes you wonder what Menken, Slater and the production's delightful design team could have done with original material."

Original London production

Sister Act opened in the West End at the London Palladium on June 2, 2009, following previews from May 7. The production was directed by Peter Schneider and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast, with set design by Klara Zieglerova, costumes by Lez Brotherston and lighting by Natasha Katz. Following a year-long search, Patina Miller, who understudied the role of Deloris at Pasadena Playhouse was cast as the principal star, alongside Sheila Hancock as the Mother superior, Ian Lavender as Monsignor Howard, Chris Jarman as Shank, Ako Mitchell as Eddie, Katie Rowley Jones as Sister Mary Robert, Claire Greenway as Sister Mary Patrick and Julia Sutton (later replaced by Jacqueline Clarke) as Sister Mary Lazarus. It was announced on April 29, 2010, that pop singer Simon Webbe of Blue fame would join the cast as Shank on May 31, 2010, and that the production would close on January 1, 2011. It was then announced the show would close on October 30, 2010, to make way for Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical production of The Wizard of Oz. Chris Jarman took a planned break from the show from May, during which time Webbe played the role of Shank, and Sheila Hancock left on July 31 due to other contractual commitments. All cast members (with the exception of Simon Webbe, who left on August 28) stayed in the show until it closed. Whoopi Goldberg joined the cast as the Mother superior for a limited engagement that was supposed to last from August 10–31, 2010, but she left the cast on August 27 due to her mother suffering a stroke. Goldberg was then succeeded by Sally Dexter. However, Goldberg returned to the cast for five performances on October 22, 23, and 25. The show closed as announced on October 30, 2010.

Original Broadway production

A newly revised adaptation of the show opened on Broadway at the Broadway Theatre on April 20, 2011, after previews beginning March 24, 2011. Jerry Zaks was the new director (Zaks had previously worked with composer Alan Menken on the 2003 Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors) with Douglas Carter Beane rewriting the book. Patina Miller, who originated the role of Deloris in the West End production, reprised the role, making her Broadway debut. The original cast featured Victoria Clark (the Mother superior), Fred Applegate (Monsignor), Sarah Bolt (Sister Mary Patrick), Chester Gregory (Eddie), Kingsley Leggs (Curtis), Marla Mindelle (Sister Mary Robert) and Audrie Neenan (Sister Mary Lazarus). On October 12, 2011, Clark left the production for unknown reasons. Her understudy, Jennifer Allen played the role after her departure. Carolee Carmello took over the role of the Mother superior on November 19, 2011. Raven-Symoné replaced Miller as Deloris on March 27, 2012. The show received multiple Tony Award nominations for the 2011 season, including for Best Musical, Best Actress in a Musical (Miller) and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Clark). The production closed on August 26, 2012, after 28 previews and 561 performances.

Subsequent productions

In 2010 Stage Entertainment produced the first international adaptation in Germany.

The first UK touring production opened on October 4, 2011, at the Manchester Opera House, with Cynthia Erivo as Deloris Van Cartier, Denise Black as the Mother superior, Julie Atherton as Sister Mary Robert, and Michael Starke as Monsignor O'Hara. The tour played its final performance on October 20, 2012.

A new non-replica UK tour officially opened on August 11, 2016, running to September 3, 2017. Directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood, the tour starred Alexandra Burke as Deloris Van Cartier, Jon Robyns as Eddie and Rosemary Ashe as Sister Mary Lazarus.

The first national North American tour debuted on October 2, 2012, at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto, Canada and closed on June 29, 2014, at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Texas. The cast included Ta'Rea Campbell as Deloris Van Cartier and Hollis Resnik as the Mother superior (later replaced by Lynne Wintersteller). A second national tour (non-equity) ran from 2014 to 2015.

On May 9, 2017, an international tour started at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and visited Philippines, China, Japan, and South Korea, closing January 21, 2018 at the Blue Square Interpark Hall in Seoul. The cast was led by Dené Hill as Deloris Van Cartier.

On October 23, 2019, it was announced that the musical would run from July 29, 2020, at the Hammersmith Apollo in London for 39 performances with Jennifer Saunders in the role of the Mother Superior and Whoopi Goldberg as Deloris Van Cartier. The production was delayed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic and finally played from July 19 to August 28, 2022, with Goldberg no longer involved. Full casting was announced on March 18, 2022 where it was confirmed that Beverley Knight would play the role of Van Cartier.

A third UK and Ireland tour was expected to start on April 21, 2020, at the Leicester Curve Theatre but was also delayed and started on June 27, 2022 at the Manchester Palace Theatre, playing its final performance on October 5, 2024 at the Liverpool Empire Theatre.

Major casts

Notable replacements

Mother Superior: Whoopi Goldberg, Sally Dexter

Curtis Shank: Simon Webbe

Deloris van Cartier: Raven-Symoné

Mother Superior: Carolee Carmello

Mother Superior: Lynne Wintersteller

Eddie Souther: Chester Gregory

Mother Superior: Sue Cleaver, Wendi Peters

Deloris van Cartier: Alexandra Burke

Mother Superior: Lesley Joseph

Eddie Souther: Lee Mead

Musical numbers

West End

Broadway

Critical response

West End

Critical opinion of the West End production has been mixed. Ian Shuttleworth of the Financial Times thought although the plot is filled with "great holes," "It's not a brainless show; Glenn Slater's lyrics are often enjoyably sharp. It's just that whenever the choice arises between creative and commercial, commercial wins out every time."

Charles Spencer in The Telegraph wrote Sister Act "proves more enjoyable on stage than it did on film" and "the cheers and standing ovation at the end were both genuine and deserved." He added, "The book, by Cheers writers Cheri and Bill Steinkellner, is strong, funny and touching. And the disco-inspired score by Disney favourite Alan Menken, with neat lyrics by Glenn Slater, is a cracker. Frankly, what's not to like, especially when you've got a chorus line of jiving nuns singing their hearts out ecstatically?"

While Michael Billington of The Guardian thought Alan Menken's music "has a pounding effectiveness," he rated the musical only two out of five stars, calling it "noisily aggressive" and "a show that feels less like a personally driven work of art than a commercial exploitation of an existing franchise." He continued, "What was originally a fairytale fantasy . . . makes little sense in its new, vulgarised incarnation. In the movie, the music arose naturally from the story: there was even a certain wit about seeing a group of wimpled warblers turned into a cohesive unit. But here, long before the heroine has got to work on their larynxes, they are leaping about the stage like showbiz pros telling us How I Got the Calling. In order to pad out a slight story, every key member of the cast also has to be given a number. As a result, the plot grinds to a halt while we hear about the macho fantasies of a sweaty cop, or the hoodlums weary us with their own wet dreams."

In the Evening Standard, Fiona Mountford rated it four out of five stars and stated, "Whether or not divine intervention is involved, it's a wimple-wibbling, habit-forming triumph."

The Times critic, Benedict Nightingale rated the show three out of five stars, observing that "a rather sweet, sentimental film has been hyped up, coarsened, given what — were the Palladium flown to Times Square — we'd call the big, brash Broadway treatment . . . There's less deft comedy, but much more music, most of it indebted to the 1970s, where the action is now set. That lets Alan Menken, the composer, have a lot of catchy fun with period rock and disco."

Broadway

The Broadway production received mostly positive reviews.

Mark Kennedy of The Associated Press wrote in his review, "This is a musical that hits all the right spots, achieving something close to Broadway grace. It helps that the musical has great original tunes by songwriter Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater that skitters from Motown, to soul and funk, to disco and even a little jokey Barry White. Menken and Slater, who also teamed up for The Little Mermaid, know perfectly how to switch up the mood and tempo.

Elysa Gardner of USA Today gave the show three and a half out of four stars and said, "Sister Act: A Divine Musical Comedy may be less giddily profane, and thought-provoking, than The Book of Mormon, but it has its own distinct and surprising charms. Composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater provide original tunes that nod cheekily, but with genuine affection, to that pop era while also propelling the story with a style and exuberance specific to well-crafted musical theater."

Elisabeth Vincentelli of the New York Post also gave the show three and a half out of four stars and wrote, "Big, glitzy numbers are the toast of Broadway musicals. The only thing better? Big, glitzy numbers . . . with nuns! "Sister Act" has plenty of both—and it's one of the season's happiest surprises.

Menken evokes the lush, funky sound of Philly soul without falling into mere pastiche: "When I Find My Baby" starts off like bedroom R&B before the lyrics take a hilarious turn. "Take Me to Heaven" and "Spread the Love Around" bloom into full-throttle disco epics, the latter building up to an ecstatic finale.

Thom Geier of Entertainment Weekly gave the show a "B+" and wrote, "It's been a season of ill-conceived or just plain disappointing stage musicals based on movies...Who'd have guessed that the latest iteration of Broadway's recycling trend, Sister Act...would be such a lark? It helps that the show boasts a genuine star turn by newcomer Patina Miller as aspiring singer Deloris Van Cartier. While Sister Act relies on all-new music, thankfully the score is by gifted tunesmith Alan Menken (Little Shop of Horrors, Beauty and the Beast) and his longtime lyricist, Glenn Slater. There are some real melodic standouts here, boosted by the decision to re-set the show in 1977 Philadelphia."

Awards and nominations

Sister Act Nun Run

The Sister Act Nuns Run was first held in May 2009, just before the opening of the West End musical. When the team from Sister Act got together with the team from Barnardos it was decided a Nun Run would be a great way to promote the new musical as well as raise money for a great cause.

Despite it being a brand new charity run, almost 1000 people got dressed up as nuns to run the streets of London, and altogether they raised over £30,000, and on the back of its success it was decided that this 4 mile run was to be an annual event.

In late 2009 it was announced that the 2010 run was again to take place in May, but this time taking a different route, passing some of London's greatest landmarks such as The Tower of London, Tate Modern, and St. Paul's Cathedral.

To link the run with Sister Act the Musical (other than the fact everyone is dressed as nuns), some of the cast as well as Barnardo's Children's Choir give performances at the start line. This not only helps to fuse the link between Barnardo's and the show, but makes it a fun event, as it is designed as a charity event rather than for competitive runners.

The 2010 run sets this as an annual event which the organizers hope will grow year after year.

The 2011 run took place in September 2011 to coincide with the UK national tour.