Edinburgh Festival Theatre – until 7 October 2023
Reviewed by Rachel Farrier
5*****
Based on the smash hit 1992 film starring Whoopi Goldberg, this musical production of Sister Act is an absolute riot from start to finish. The framing of the tale of a night club singer who requires to be placed in a convent whilst under police protection is perhaps somewhat flimsy, and the plot exposition is clunky and sometimes slow, but these are really the only drawbacks in an otherwise sparkling (in every way) production.
It is Landi Oshinowo as the central character of Deloris Van Cartier who holds the show together with a breath taking energy and momentum, and a voice to match. There were perhaps a few opening night nerves in her early scenes but these were soon dispelled as she fully inhabited her effervescent character, who finds her gift for singing displaced from nightclub to convent, and decides to teach her fellow nuns how to really sing.
There were many other stand out performances throughout the show however, in particular Lizzie Bea as Sister Mary Robert astonishes with the revelation of an exceptional voice as her character undergoes a transformation – her rendition of ‘The life I never led‘ is spine-tingling. Isabel Canning as Sister Mary Patrick and Lori Haley Fox as Sister Mary Lazarus brought moments of laugh out loud hilarity, but it was surprisingly moving to watch the nuns come alive as they learn how to sing with ‘soul’ under Deloris’s tutelage. Alfie Parker as cop Eddie Souther also shines in his role – ‘I could be that guy’ had the audience whopping and applauding mid-song.
In the hands of veteran star Lesley Joseph as Mother Superior, some fairly predictable dialogue sections were turned into a masterclass in comedy timing – she played the doddery, change-resistant leader of the convent with old-school humour which was lapped up by an appreciative audience.
The set design by Morgan Large is particularly beautiful when it is conveying the inside of the leaky-roofed church – with a stained glass framing which is reflected on the stage itself. The contrast and segue into the equally brilliantly-designed glitzier scenes somehow adds to the energy and pace of the show.
As the show reached its neon, sequin-tastic finale this top quality cast brought the house down. My teenage daughter companion summed up the night as ‘5 star fun’ and the standing ovation from the audience surely demonstrated that many others were in agreement.