Sister Act the Musical

Infobox Musical
name= Sister Act the Musical


caption= Show logo
music= Alan Menken
lyrics= Glenn Slater
book= Cheri and Bill Steinkellner
basis= 1992 film "Sister Act"
productions= 2006 Pasadena, California
2007 Atlanta, Georgia
awards=

"Sister Act the Musical" is a musical with a book by Cheri and Bill Steinkellner, lyrics by Glenn Slater, and music by Alan Menken. It is based on the hit 1992 film comedy of the same name.

ynopsis

The original film's locations of Reno and San Francisco have been changed to Philadelphia and the action now is set in the 1970s. When disco diva wannabe Deloris Van Cartier sees her gangster boyfriend Curtis Shank commit a murder at the grungy club where she's performing, she reports the crime to the police and is placed in the witness protection program. Disguised as a nun named Sister Mary Clarence, she is placed in the convent of the Holy Order of the Little Sisters of Our Mother of Perpetual Faith, where she finds herself up against the rigid Mother Superior. Deloris uses her singing talent to inspire the other nuns to create a more contemporary choir, and they become the hit of the community. Word of their success reaches Curtis and his mob, who arrive on the scene to settle their score with Delores and find themselves battling not only her, but a gang of feisty nuns and the Mother Superior as well.

Production history

Directed by Peter Schneider and choreographed by Marguerite Derricks, the musical premiered at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California on October 24 2006. Due to a demand for tickets, the run was extended until December 23.

Charles McNulty of the "Los Angeles Times" stated it has "Broadway blockbuster written all over it!," and Laurence Vittes described it as "hugely entertaining . . . likely to become a classic!" in "The Hollywood Reporter". In his Theatremania.com review, Jonas Schwartz was less enthusiastic, saying it "suffers from a bit of an identity crisis. When focused within the confines of the church and the convent, the show is heavenly, singing loudly and confidently. However, the scenes that take place in the outside world are painted with unnecessarily broad and occasionally offensive strokes. Moreover, Dawnn Lewis lacks punch in the lead role of Deloris Van Cartier . . . [she] is too whiny to fully command the stage."

The production then moved to the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, where it ran from January 17 - February 25 2007. 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."

The cast included Dawnn Lewis as Deloris, Elizabeth Ward Land as the Mother Superior, and Harrison White as Curtis.

At the present time, plans for a move to Broadway have not been finalized.

ong list [ [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/103215.html Playbill.com article by Ernio Hernandez, November 3, 2006] ]

*Light My Way (Prologue)
*Take Me to Heaven
*Fabulous, Baby!
*A Simple Life
*How I Got the Calling
*Dress to Kill
*How I Got the Calling (Reprise)
*Goin' to Hell
*I Could Be That Guy
*Raise Your Voice
*Take Me to Heaven (Reprise)
*Sunday Morning Fever
*Lady in the Long Black Dress
*A Simple Life (Reprise)
*Sister Act
*The Life I Never Led
*Would It Kill Me?
*Dress to Kill (Reprise)
*I Haven’t Got a Prayer
*Light My Way
*Mirror Ball

The show is rumoured to be opening in London's West End in 2009, produced by the team that brought Hairspray to the capital.

References

External links

* [http://www.sisteractthemusical.com Official website]
* [http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/9407 Theatermania.com review]
* [http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A192063 CreativeLoafing.com review]