Sister Act – the reviews round-up
Sister Act the Musical – Mixed Reviews
The critics have given their opinions of Sister Act the Musical and they don’t seem to be quite sure. Ratings vary between 4* and 2* . Have a look for yourself and see if you agree:
Evening Standard (****) –
“It’s been done before, the reasoning might have gone, so why not do it again? Put a singing nun centre stage in a musical and watch the piece climb every mountain … Whether or not divine intervention is involved, it’s a wimple-wibbling, habit-forming triumph … Before Peter Schneider’s production builds up the unstoppable head of momentum that led to the quickest standing ovation I’ve ever seen on a West End first night, there are some dubious early moments. Once we find Sheila Hancock’s delightfully droll Mother Superior (‘God has brought you to this place: take the hint’) waiting for Deloris, sorry, Sister Mary Clarence, things take a distinct turn for the heavenly. Alan Menken’s attractive, gospel-inflected score kicks in … Helped along by Anthony Van Laast’s energetic choreography … There can be no disputing the evening’s main draw: 24-year-old Miller, …. Her magnificent voice is rich, soaring and, crucially, unflagging. She might have been unknown last night, but today all that will have changed. Take it away, sisters.”
Daily Telegraph (****) –
Based like most new musicals these days on an old movie, Sister Act proves more enjoyable on stage than it did on film. I caught the show at the final preview with an audience of regular punters rather than the usual first-night rent-a-mob, and the cheers and standing ovation at the end were both genuine and deserved. 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? … The show’s real find is the American Patina Miller as Deloris. She has all the comic vitality of Whoopi Goldberg in the film, but she’s sexier and sings up a storm. When she’s belting out the disco-diva anthems you might be listening to Gloria Gaynor or Chaka Khan. She also has a funky, spunky stage presence and great comic timing … I suspect this musical comedy about a nun on the run could prove habit-forming.”
The Times was less sure:
The Times (***) –
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 … The film’s point was that Deloris liberates the nuns’ voices while they liberate her spirit. She puts modern soul into their Salve Regina, they put Salve Regina into her modern soul. But there’s no gentle piety here … 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 … And that lets Patina Miller display the first of her star qualities, a terrific voice. Add warmth, humour, vivacity — and you’ve a star who lacks Whoopi’s wry vulnerability but adds dazzle to the razzle around her.”
Others were less kind. Quentin Letts seems to object on religious grounds, whilst admitting it’s likely to be a hit:
Daily Mail (**) –
“Call me a miserable old monk but I hated Sister Act….. This noisy, pumpy, insistently American musical will doubtless be a solid summer hit for the Palladium. It will entertain thousands of people who are out for a simple night’s fun and don’t get their cassocks in a tangle, like I do, about church liturgy. Much of it is well performed. Just count me out. From the start there is basically one joke: namely, the spectacle of nuns grooving around on the dance floor. I know I may be taking it too seriously but I found myself recoiling sharply from this story’s saccharine values and its bullying gaiety. The thing is as shallow as the Aral Sea. Hideously formulaic. Musical by numbers. Yuck, yuck, yuck … The evening’s chief on-stage talents are Sheila Hancock, who plays the stern Mother Superior, and Patina Miller as Deloris … Miss Hancock is on fine form and Miss Miller, after an off-key start, shows herself to have a cheesy presence and a Merlin engine of a voice.
”
Michael Billington’s objections are more varied:
The Guardian (**)
…A world away from the cloistered charmers of The Sound of Music. What we have here is a show that feels less like a personally driven work of art than a commercial exploitation of an existing franchise … What was originally a fairytale fantasy, however, makes little sense in its new, vulgarised incarnation … In order to pad out a slight story, every key member of the cast also has to be given a number … Alan Menken’s music admittedly has a pounding effectiveness and the opening number, ‘Take Me to Heaven’, is skillfully turned into a hymn to religious, rather than sensual, ecstasy. Patina Miller invests Deloris with a wealth of raucous energy and just about convinces in her conversion from fame-seeking individualist to member of the singing sorority. Sheila Hancock lends the show some needed gravitas as the Mother Superior … All too typically the nuns, in Anthony van Laast’s choreography, kick up their heels like the Rockettes and prance around in gilt vestments that might be described as surplice to requirements.
(That last pun really should have been edited out – just awful!)
Your Reviews of Sister Act
I’ve not been yet but I do intend going over the summer. Meanwhile, dear readers:
Have you seen it?
What do you think of the show?
Are the critics wrong yet again?
Do leave us your reviews of Sister Act in the comments.
I went to the press previews last night (2nd June) and i thought it was an incredibly enjoyable romp. Almost 3 hours of wonderful music, genuinely funny one-liners, comedic situations – it had everything required to keep the audience entertained! Which is exactly what a west-end show should do – entertainment? I don’t agree with the negative comments above, from those that form too serious an opinion… Nuns with glittering habits? surely that’s hilarious?!?! The continually changing statue of the virgin memory from a drab blue to bright shimmering silver at the end – surely mirroring Delores soul from the shallow lounge singer to the lady part of a ’sister act’?!
And the amazing costume changes with Sweaty Eddie?!!??!
Pure genius!!
I saw this the other day, I was ready to leave 20 minutes in, totally over the top with very bad direction, writing and songs, I was very embarrassed for the actors having to play it, while I’ll admit it got a standing ovation at the end, it was the slowest one I’ve ever seen in the West End or Broadway, almost as if people were embarrassed into standing because others were. While I do like Sheila Hancock, she is not and ever will be Dame Maggie Smith who for me will always be Mother Superior.
Also I’m sure if the mockery of Christianity that took place in the play was of some other religion there would be a huge outcry. Now while I did feel the film took the “mick” out of Christianity, the film had a very god defence, it did it with some style and was good, the Westend show does not have that defence.
It is my hope that this has a very short run so that I can wipe it from my mind. Take my advice and save your money for a much better show.
Sadly, a great disappointment.
I cannot fault the cast, nor the singing, nor the stage presence of Patina Miller. Shiela Hancock played her part well, with several comic lines; together with some rather dire ones too! For Patine Miller, taking on a part played originally in the film version by Whoopy Goldberg is an almost impossible task. Whoopy’s comic timing is unique. Patina Miller has a powerful voice and an excellent stage presence and indeed some comic talent – a delightful performer, but the direction let her down, the production let her down.
Sister Act as a film was believable, the show was not.
Granted it is a musical based on the film, but then so is Billy Elliot and that works a treat and infact rises upon a theatre pedestal of its own.
There are many other musicals taken from films and vica versa. Many work superbly to give the audience an evening of thrill, delight and music. The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady to name but two – both a triumph as film and musical theatre.
The problem in Sister Act was the score. I waited to be moved, to be uplifted, for the score to give me even just one song to which I could tap my feet, move my body and get into the mood of the evening. I knew that none the tracks from the film could be used in the stage version so it was with excited anticipation that I waited to hear the new score.
But nothing, absolutely nothing; the first song of the evening left me absolutely cold. The cast sang and danced well enough, except that I had to sit through some nonsense as each cast member appeared to be given their own solo and backing dance troup and I just lost the plot! Truly awful and embarrassing despite a very clever trick apparently during one solo, where the officer has a ‘change of clothes’. I say apparently because I missed it. I lent down to pick up my bottle of water and hey presto, the trick – like a flash of lightening, was over – and all I heard was the spontaneous clapping of the audience together with some gasps.
Those next to me, who were ‘loving the show’ were left to fill me in during the interval as to how clever it was. How sad I missed what seemed to be the one ‘exciting’ part of the show!
Back to the score, or rather non score; I left the show in disbelief that you would have to be tone deaf to appreciate a whole evening of unmusical, tuneless and more importantly, utterly without soul.
As I repeat, I was truly disappointed. The cast had worked so hard and I felt completely empty.
Go see it, maybe like those sitting next to me, you will thoroughly enjoy it!
As an American who is theatre savvy, I attended nine shows in a week in London. SISTER ACT was the most enjoyable experience of all. Patina Miller was extraordinary. I really believed in the story more than on film. Each of the characters had a musical moment to develop their character and make them shine. The music by Alan Menken was toe tapping and character appropriate. It brought back the disco period of the late seventies. I thought the set was inspired, especially the convent with its reverential three-dimensional aspect.
I feel sorry for anyone who did not enjoy this rollicking inspirational music. It had that “feel good” touch not seen since HAIRSPRAY debuted on Broadway about 10 years ago. Whoopie Goldberg should be proud and hopefully it will be a big hit. I can’t wait to see it on Broadway so I can recommend it to everyone I know. Just so you know where I am coming from, my other favorite shows were WAR HORSE and MADAME DE SADE.