Review: SISTER ACT - Palace Strikes Solid Gold

SISTER ACT, the musical, follows the 1992 Whoopi Goldberg movie of the same name, opened April 19th at the Georgetown Palace theatre, and the result is solid gold entertainment.

Set in 1978, right smack dab in the middle of the disco craze, singer Deloris Van Cartier (Kendra Christel) is pushing for stage time at her boyfriend Curtis' (Neil Gibson) club, when she witnesses a murder and runs straight to the police. Lieutenant Eddie Souther (Isaac Arrieta), a classmate from Deloris' school days, helps to hide her until Curtis can be brought to trial. Souther's brilliant idea is to hide the chanteuse at a convent, a place no one would think to look for the flamboyant Deloris. Hidden as Sister Mary Clarence, she begins to convert the real nuns to singing her disco tunes as hip hymns. Mother Superior (Cathie Sheridan) is at her wits end to stop the changes in her convent, but a happy ending is in the offing and love is spread all around. The movie's story makes a logical one as a conversion to a stage musical with a toe tapping disco score and lamé galore. The Georgetown Palace team seem to be equal to any task recently and have made switching from old standards to modern musicals into an art form. SISTER ACT falls beautifully into their plan; nowhere else can you see EVITA and NEWSIES on the same stage.

Director Scott Shipman has a flair for moving the action along and keeping the show at an unstoppable flow. He does an excellent job of getting every laugh out of the script and the most out of each number showcasing Rose Yurcina's excellent music direction and Judy Thompson Price's outstanding choreography. Costumes designed and built by Ellen Simms are spectacular in every detail and contain one of the neatest tricks with a full costume I've ever seen on stage (no spoilers here). Ishmael Soto, III's set design is clever and compact utilizing set pieces for several different objects and keeping set changes efficient and smooth. I especially enjoyed Barb Jernigan's scenic painting of the stained glass windows, the rainbow colors contrast the nun's habits and infuse the stage with an underlying joy. Faith Castaneda's lighting design is subtle when it needs to be and disco ball stunning when called upon. The cast is wonderful together as an ensemble especially the nuns, their scenes are hilarious and they are a perfect blend of characters to make sweet comedy. The 'bad guys' comprised of Ismael Soto, Keondric Pilgrim and Peter Wilde are uproarious. Their numbers together with Neil Gibson leave the audience in stitches. Among the sisters, standouts include Kali McBurney as Sister Mary Robert her performance is charming, her sweetness rings in every note. Nikki Bora as Sister Mary Theresa is a gifted physical comedian and she is a delight to watch. Betty Ortwein as Sister Mary Lazarus is a cantankerous gem in a brilliant setting. But it's the relationship between Mother Superior and Deloris that makes the show and Kendra Christel and Cathie Sheridan are perfectly cast. Sparks fly from their first meeting as they vie for the musical soul of the convent. I've had the great pleasure of watching Sheridan is many shows over the years in shows like Hairspray or in Sweeney Todd. Sheridan is a star among stars and her performance is commanding and tender together. And in her turn Kendra Christel as Deloris, cannot keep her light hidden under a bushel, she must sing and sing she does. They make a great team and it's so good to hear Sheridan belt it out again. The show was excellent and on solid ground and I predict within a week that they will be playing to packed houses and there won't be an extra ticket to be had. The laughter rolls from beginning to end and the audience adores it.

So make those reservations and plan to see, SISTER ACT at the Georgetown Palace Theatre before it's gone!

SISTER ACT

The Musical

Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Glenn Slater

Book by Cheri Steinkellner & Bill Steinkellner

Directed by Scott Shipman

Georgetown Palace Theatre

April 19 - May 19

Running Time: 2.5 hours with one 15 minute intermission

Tickets: $32.00 - $15.00 georgetownpalace.com

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