Sister Act
Photo Credit: Alan Martin/AMSI
Reviewed by: Patricia Connor on 7 July 2015
Venue: Little Theatre Southport
Date: 27 Jun - 4 Jul 2015
Type of Production: Musical
Music by Alan Menken - Lyrics by Glenn Slater
Directed by Stephen Hughes-Alty
Musical Director: Charles Moss
Choreographer: Jackie Morris
This was the first time I had seen the musical “Sister Act” although I have seen the film on many occasions. The plot follows a similar story line but does not include the original songs featured in the film, however this did not at all spoil my enjoyment of this show.
Directed by Stephen Hughes- Alty this was an outstanding production from Southport Spotlights that contained plenty of well sung upbeat numbers, good acting and plenty of comedy. The talented cast gave their all with lots of energy, enthusiasm and teamwork they also appeared to be enjoying themselves immensely. There were no weak links in this large cast and all the musical numbers were performed excellently by all. There were a number of outstanding performance which I would like to highlight which included Lauren Murphy who more than met the challenge in the central role of Deloris Van Cartier playing the part with confidence, and exuberance, her comic timing and renditions of her musical numbers were excellent which are all very important in this pivotal role. Marie Orr as the Mother Superior invoked authority but was also able to give an air of disbelief, confusion and panic when everything appeared to be spiralling out of her control. Marie and Lauren played well together as two people with opposite aims in life. John Delahunty performed very well as Lt. Eddie Souther, Deloris’s old friend and police contact he played his part sensitively, the audience were rooting for him to get together with Deloris by the end of the show. Adrian Roberts as Curtis, Deloris’s gangster boyfriend was suitably untrustworthy and his henchmen played by Robbie Fletcher-Hill as T.J., Joseph Perree as Pablo and Chris Seery as Joey were superb as a threesome with great comic timing, their rendition of “Lady in the Long Black Dress” was a big hit with the audience. Beth Milligan was spot on with her character of the shy postulant Sister Mary Robert and Jacqui Padden as Sister Mary Lazarus, Amanda Shaw as Sister Mary Patrick, Hilary Thomson as Sister Mary Theresa, Katie Watkinson as Sister Mary Martin of Tours and Tom Hornby as Monsignor O’Hara all produced very different good comedic characterisations. The principle cast were well supported by the smaller roles and the ensemble who all performed very well with lots of energy and gusto, they also produced some nice characterisations of their own. Diction and clarity of words along with accents were very good which meant the story could be followed easily. Choreography by Jackie Morris was dynamic and was more than suitable for the show, it was very energetically executed by the cast and looked effective, and the Orchestra led by Musical Director Charles Moss played excellently supporting the cast well and enhancing the production. The set, props sound, lighting and costumes were first-rate making a good platform for the cast to perform on, well done to all the back stage crew.
Congratulations to Stephen Hughes–Alty and everyone involved in bringing this outstanding production to the stage. Thank you for inviting us we had a very enjoyable evening, I hope to see you for your next production.
From the Champion - local press
Review by Ron Ellis
YOU knew this was going to be something special when a crowd of nuns were assembled at the theatre entrance to greet the patrons as they came in. And something special it was.
Lauren Murphy was outstanding in the Whoopie Goldberg role of Deloris, the night club singer who has witnessed a murder and is sent by the police to a convent to protect her from the killer.
Adrian Roberts played the man who committed the deed, gangster Curtis Jackson, with a surly panache, and gave a nice rendition of ‘When I find my baby’.
The young police lieutenant, Eddie, who had a crush on Deloris, was played by John Delahunty who looked like a young Frank Sinatra as he sang ‘I could be that guy’.
Blessed with the best throwaway lines, Marie Orr showed a great grasp of comedy as the Mother Superior, persuaded to accommodate the wayward stranger.
Rob McGregor was able to use his Irish lilt to good effect, standing in for Tom Hornby on the night as Monsignor O’Hara, whilst Beth Milligan, as the novice Mary Robert, showed her vocal talents in ‘The life I never led’.
The highlight of the night was Sunday Morning Fever, an archetypal 70’s disco anthem, sung by most of the large, talented cast, which had all the audience clapping fervently along, illuminated by two large disco mirror balls above the front of the stage.
Choreographed by Jackie Morris, the dancing throughout was exhilarating, enhanced by a variety of sparkling costumes.
Credit too to the backstage staff who had to cope with a non-stop change of sets, ensuring the show ran smoothly.
This was a fabulous show, packed with energy and vitality, accompanied by a pulsating soundtrack played by a superb 11-piece orchestra, under the direction of Charles Moss, that made period pieces like ‘Carousel’ and ‘The King And I’ look as relevant as a foxtrot at a disco.
In a recent review in the Champion, I said that an excellent professional production of ‘The Producers’ was ‘nearly as good’ as the one done a few months earlier by Southport Spotlights’ . Well, ‘Sister Act’ here was better than the West End production I saw, good as that was. Yet another triumph for the director, the indefatigable Stephen Hughes-Alty.
There are still a few seats left before the last night on Saturday. Book now. This is a show not to miss.
Star Rating. 9 out of 10. A great night out.
From Southport Visiter - local press
After being greeted by nuns at the entrance, it was clear from the offset the Little Theatre crowd were going to experience an authentic Sister Act experience.
Lauren Murphy played Whoopi Goldberg's character from the 1992 film, and was outstanding in the role - bagging a standing ovation from the crowd at the end of the performance.
Playing Deloris van Cartier, a club singer who hides in a convent after witnessing a murder, Murphy opened the show, belting out Take Me To Heaven and giving the packed audience an idea of what to expect over the next two hours.
However, it was a witty performance by Marie Orr as Mother Superior that stole the show. Her one-liners and fantastic comedic timing had the audience in stitches.
'Sweaty Eddie', Deloris' love interest, was performed by John Delahunty who played the part of the shy and awkward police officer, while Adrian Roberts played Curtis Jackson, the smooth gangster chasing Deloris.
The faultless 11-piece orchestra performed the lively soundtrack eloquently throughout, causing the animated Little Theatre audience to toe-tap and clap along in time.
A show highlight came when the entire cast of nuns took to the stage for Sunday Morning Fever. The lively number had the audience jigging along with the dancing nuns.
With dynamic choreography (courtesy of Jackie Morris), impressive acting and compelling vocals, it was an energetic performance not to be missed and I am already looking forward to the next Southport Spotlights production.
Joan Price, 64, said: “It was terrific. I have seen the Broadway version in London and thought this one was just as good, if not better.
The singing was out of this world – they were well deserving of their standing ovation at the end.”