Review: Sister Act at the Opera House

A perennial crowd-pleaser, the nuns on the run show has never fallen out of favour and despite some copyright hurdles director Bill Backhurst's version delivers the hits.

Landi Oshinowo as Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act now playing at the Opera House. Credit': Mark Senior

On Tuesday evening, the Opera House welcomed a whopping one thousand Sister Act fans through its revolving doors. The show, directed by Bill Buckhurst, was clearly greatly anticipated: people shuffled into their seats quite early as Motown hits filled the theatre.

Not soon after all had taken their seats, the flashy neon sign was lifted, and the sound of Rose Royce was replaced with the classically eerie sound of, well… nuns!

In the first act, we are introduced to Mother Superior, played by Coronation Street star, Sue Cleaver. Mother Superior is clearly presented as a figure of authority. Although she’s somewhat sterile in her demeanour, she still has a clear warmth for her sisters, who she takes great pride in looking after. She tells God that the church is struggling to maintain the funds needed to keep its doors open, and asks him for a miracle to save it. 

The grey and dreary ‘dark church’ palette that is initially presented, cuts abruptly into a burst of colourful disco lights and sparkling sequin garments.

This is where we meet our protagonist Deloris Van Cartier, who is in the midst of performing for her ‘married mob boss boyfriend,’ Curtis. Deloris (played by Landi Oshinowo) dreams of being a big star, and has high hopes that he’ll allow her to play in his bar. However, Curtis seems to have other priorities, or so Deloris finds out, when she witnesses him murder somebody at gunpoint. 

This begins the story, as Deloris, played by Landi Oshinowo, must go into witness protection in a nunnery, much to her dread. 

The first few numbers seem to drag out. For the initial introductions of the characters, one would expect a bit more movement, especially during Deloris’ “Fabulous baby.” It’s hard to put a finger on it, but everything just seems a bit stiff. I think it's safe to say that you would expect somebody who claims to love the spotlight to be a bit more performative.  However the amazing voice that Oshinowo presents does make this forgivable. 

Landi Oshinowo in her starring role in Sister Act. Credit: Mark Senior

Once we are introduced to the song ‘When I find my baby,’ the ball doesn't just get rolling, it's catapulted across the stage. Ian Gareth-Jones’ character Curtis, sings about all the heinous crimes he’ll commit when he gets his hands on his lover Deloris. Jones is very comedic as he mimes out all the different flavours of abuse in a rather exaggerated fashion. 

But it is definitely the three dancers, Elliot Gooch (TJ), Micgalis Antoniou (Pablo) and Joseph Connor (Clemont), who absolutely claim the spotlight in this number and the rest to follow.  Donned in flares and classic 70s platform shoes, the trio gave us the theatrical performance that we had been craving. The choreography by Alistair David was irresistibly camp, infusing perfectly with the gorgeously funky costumes designed by Morgan Large. 

We see more of this beautiful costume/set design when officer Eddie Souther (Callum Martin), or rather, ‘Steady Eddie,’ performs “I could be that guy.” This has to be one of the most memorable performances, with a vibrant choreographed dance routine, incredible prop usage, two outfit reveals and an amazing range of vocals from Martin. 

In act two we get a variety of performances from our newly beloved nuns, as they work together to keep their unconventional choir a success, much to the disapproval of Sister Mary superior. The nuns who have now begun grinding, popping and locking to their cherished gospel songs, begin to form a lovely bond. 

I must mention the highly comedic performance of Isabel Canning as Sister Mary Patrick. It’s difficult to take your eyes off her as she prances around the convent with her goofy and overly quirky attitude. 

Another nun who stands out is Sister Mary Robert. Played by Eloise Runnette, Sister Mary Robert never really gets the chance to display the powerful voice that's hidden beneath her sheepish persona. It's the coming of age for the youngest member of the group. With a theme like stepping out of girlhood and finding your voice as a woman, it is almost impossible not to root for the character. 

Throughout all of these convent scenes, the black and white palate of the sisters was barely even noticeable. The lighting designed by Tim Mitchell, was absolutely seizure inducing, which is exactly what's needed throughout these scenes. Displaying at some point every colour of the rainbow, the convent seems to be the brightest place in this world. 

With all of these amazing factors, there is one thing that die hard fans probably won’t fancy. Due to copyright laws, this production couldn’t use any of the soundtrack from the much loved Sister Act film. But with all of these incredible numbers, it's safe to say that lyricist Glenn Slater and composer Alan Menken did an incredible job creating entirely new music for this production. All of the songs are extremely catchy, and by the time that the show's curtains are drawn closed, you can be sure to hear most people humming along to them. 

This was definitely the case on Tuesday night. Out in front of the Opera House, where some stayed to smoke and others hit the dusty trail, everybody appeared to be grinning from ear to ear, and the only words that seemed to be spoken about this production, were ones of the highest praise. 

Sister Act runs until April 6 with tickets still available for only the 2:30pm matinee today April 4. Tickets and more info here.

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And a reminder…for Lifelong Learning Fest this year, team T+D is holding a talk about trees in the inimitable Callanan’s on George’s Quay on Friday, April 12. It’s free in and all are welcome. Start time 5:15pm.