Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York – until 24th May 2025
Reviewed by Lauren Fordham
5*****
Sister Act The Musical performed by York Musical Theatre Company , is about a nightclub singer, Deloris van Cartier, who after seeing her ex-boyfriend commit murder, has to go into witness protection in a convent, disguised as a nun. Her fate is portended effectively by Scenery Solutions from the very start because the backdrop to the opening scene in a nightclub is reminiscent of a church, with a stained glass window depicting Mary holding Jesus.
Hayley Bamford dazzles as the decadent, somewhat degenerate Deloris before she enters the convent, declaring that she is ‘a star on the brink’ with a thoroughly convincing, decisive diva-like demeanour. Although her voice is quieter as she comes to realise that ‘I don’t need fame or fortune, nice as those things are, I’ve got all I need to feel like I’m a star,’ Act 2 Deloris is a changed, more sensitive woman. She infuses these words with a warm sincerity that envelops the audience like a blanket as she embraces her new sisterhood.
As Deloris’ murderous ex-partner Curtis, Zander Fick cuts a Travolta-esque figure reminiscent of Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever with his arrogant posture, smooth moves and voice like velvet. His lithe movement is perfectly partnered with Adam Kirkland’s slow, rotating lighting, complete with disco ball imagery. Never has a murderer, (or a song, ‘When I Find My Baby’ containing multiple aggressive death threats) seemed so subversively seductive.
Fellow gangsters TJ, Joey and Pablo (James Dickinson, Joe Marucci and Adam Gill, respectively) demonstrate a falsetto range that would impress the Bee Gees, as they attempt to seduce the nuns in the song ‘Lady in the Long Black Dress.’
Kirsten Griffith also excels as the exasperated Mother Superior injecting humour into the role even as she despairs of Deloris’ degeneracy and her impotence to change her behaviour ‘I Haven’t Got a Prayer.’
The only thread that could possibly be considered out of place on this beautiful tapestry of a show is the costume choices. Deloris’ dress in the nightclub scenes flashes constantly like a Christmas tree with a blinding intensity that it should come with a warning for those with photosensitive epilepsy. The black and white costumes worn in the final number also amused me as they were somewhat redolent of chess pieces. These choices are hardly mortal sins, however, and can easily be forgiven and forgotten in a show that raises not only the roof but the standards of voluntary musical theatre. This slick production is anything but amateur in quality.
The star of the night, however, is the shyest character who at first doesn’t twinkle very much at all. Sister Mary Robert’s role reversal from nervous novice to rebellious renegade is expertly handled by Eve Clark with a powerful voice that belies her character and her own young age, I have no doubt her future is bright.
This review could be longer than the Bible itself but the Queen of Angels’ convent is soon to be dissolved, so I’ll end by saying, this show is fabulous baby! Get thee to the nunnery before they hang up their habits for good on 24th May, or you will repent at leisure!