Sister Act
Westchester Broadway Theater, Elmsford, NY, April 12, 2018
Reviewed by Chip Deffaa for Cabaret Scenes
When I was a kid, every show that I saw was a delight to me. Sometimes, I wish I were still a kid. I view productions much more critically these days because I have seen so many others to compare them to. I attended the opening night of Sister Act, which is booked to play Westchester Broadway Theater through July 1. Some members of the opening-night audience appeared to be having quite a good time. Oh, I wish I could share their enthusiasm. To me, this is a not-particularly-good production of a not-particularly-good musical comedy. I loved the original 1992 film, which starred Whoopi Goldberg. But to me, the stage adaptation is not nearly as rewarding.
Some talented people worked on making the stage adaptation: Alan Menken (music); Glenn Slater (lyrics); and Bill and Cheri Steinkellner (book; with additional book material by Douglas Carter Beane). But the show feels awfully lightweight.
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This may be Menken’s least distinguished score. The original film included some memorable pop numbers, such as “My Guy,” “Shout,” and “I Will Follow Him,” wonderfully arranged by Marc Shaiman.
(And the soundtrack album was a best-seller.) None of these infectious oldies were retained for the stage musical. And that’s a pity, because their replacements are not nearly so appealing. They feel more like filler.
Director/choreographer Donna Drake has done what she could with the ensemble numbers in this production. They’re carried off with professionalism and flair. They pop. The spirited ensemble singing/dancing was my favorite part of the night. But the script and score are so mediocre there’s only so much that a director/choreographer can do.
The original screenplay (by Paul Rudnick and others) was masterfully constructed, with subtleties and surprising plots turns. Whoopi Goldberg played a Reno lounge singer, Deloris Van Cartier, who hides out in a San Francisco convent to escape from a mob boss who’s puzt a hit on her. She is far from a natural fit with the Sisters of the convent, but eventually develops a bond with them. She uses her showmanship savvy to turn their staid choir into a joyous, rockin’ gospel-type choir that everyone wants to hear.
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Goldberg—who is always a treat—gave one of the best performances of her career: funny, eccentric, acerbic, and oddly endearing.
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She is a unique star, and that film showed her off to great advantage. The terrific supporting players in the film—Mary Wickes, Kathy Najimy, Maggie Smith, and Harvey Keitel—were all individuals, as well, and Rudnick gave them all moments to shine.
The cast of this production—Zuri Washington (as Van Cartier), Mary Jo McConnell (Mother Superior), Lani Corson (Sister Mary Robert), Ken Jennings (Monsignor O’Hara), Philip Michael Baskerville (Curtis Shank), Danny Wilford (Eddie Souther), Corben Williams (TJ), Jayson Elliott (Joey), Mike D’Amico (Pablo), Sandy Rosenberg (Sister Mary Lazarus), Katelyn Lauria (Sister Mary Patrick)—has a hard time competing with the memory of the film. The writing feels awfully simplistic and obvious. The various characters now have a cardboard feel.
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(I was very happy to see Broadway pro Ken Jennings in the cast. I’ve enjoyed him tremendously over the years in such musicals as Urinetown and Sideshow. And, he makes the most of his small role, but his talents are largely wasted.)
The setting has been changed, foolishly, from Reno and San Francisco to Philadelphia. (There’s greater contrast if a Reno showgirl is hiding out in a San Francisco convent than there is if a not-too-successful Philadelphia club singer is hiding out in a Philadelphia convent. The writers seemed to have made a change for the sake of change; it certainly doesn’t help.) The script is lacking in nuance and tension. In this adaptation, the singer-on-the-lam succeeds so quickly, thoroughly, and effortlessly in transforming the choir into a rollicking success, there’s nowhere left to go dramatically. The show climaxes far too early. And there is no chemistry whatsoever between the star of this production and the actor playing the guy she eventually falls for.
The stage adaptation asks us to share in the happiness of nuns cutting loose and singing and dancing with gospel-style fervor. And there’s some fun in that. But not enough—for me, anyway—to sustain a full-length musical.
