Sister Act is engaging enough to make you a believer – at least in the power of a well-done musical to uplift and amuse.
The theatrical production — based on the 1992 Whoopie Goldberg film — is now playing at the Littleton Town Hall Arts Center. Its opening night was rowdy success, with strong performances, powerful vocals and ample laughter and an enthusiastic audience.
While the storyline is slim on plot or depth, it’s plenty big on charm and lighthearted fun. Take your seat with that in mind and you’ll be in for a great evening.
The story opens with our main character, Deloris Van Cartier (Sheryl Renee) attempting to impress her mobster boyfriend Curtis (Tony Rivera) with her singing talents. Renee – who once performed the National Anthem for President Barack Obama – is no stranger to the stage or the recording studio, and her voice shows it. It’s big and strong, just like her stage presence – which makes her a perfect Deloris.
In the following scene, Deloris witnesses Curtis killing a man he believes has betrayed him. This forces her to flee and go underground. As it turns out, the most convenient place to hide is a nearby convent. That the brash, loud Deloris – with a fondness for clothes that both cling and glitter – must hide out in a convent populated by seemingly tone-deaf nuns, is the perfect set-up for a great musical comedy.
But the best scenes don’t all happen inside the convent walls. Arguably the crowd favorite was “When I Find My Baby,” when Curtis and his three remaining goons break into a choreographed, ’60s style song-and-dance about the myriad ways Curtis will kill Deloris if he tracks her down. TJ (Christopher Razor), Joey (Matt LaFontaine) and Pablo (Chris Carranza) transform abruptly from bumbling street thugs to smooth crooners and fluid dancers. As Curtis, Rivera is a convincing bad guy – which makes his schmaltzy dance moves that much more entertaining.
Police Lt. Eddie Souther (Ben Hilzer) also earned the audience’s heart with “I Could Be That Guy.” Souther is sweetly awkward as he sings about his everyman hope to someday soak in the spotlight and be a hero. Yes, there’s a good bit of foreshadowing here.
Inside the convent walls, Mother Superior (Maggie Lamb) does her best to collar the irrepressible Deloris. Lamb convincingly portrays the dry, humorless and always proper lead nun, only breaking from her somber role at the musical’s end, when her kind heart and fondness for Deloris at last shines through.
Another stand-out performance comes from the cast’s youngest member, novice nun Sister Mary Robert (Bella Hawthorne). Like Mother Superior, she sheds her proper convent skin, revealing passionate yearnings for a very different future in “The Life I Never Led.”
There are too many good performances in this musical to count in one review. And that includes the unseen crew. Choreographer Christopher Page-Sanders merits a special shout out for dance scenes that successfully incorporate both humor and grace – a tough note to hit but one he nails.
The show ends with a happy culmination of all those talents. The entire cast fills the small stage for “Spread the Love Around,” leading the audience in a raucous, hand-clapping finale that sends audience members out the door smiling.
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