Good for the soul, Hannah Millbank went to see the Broadway musical Sister Act showing at the Bristol Hippodrome this month
I didn’t realise quite how much I needed the Broadway hit musical Sister Act in my life until I left the Bristol Hippodrome this week with a wide grin on my face. It was exactly the right type of feel-good antidote I needed to drag me through the final dregs of winter: a glitter-filled, compelling show featuring a rapping nun – what could be more entertaining?
I didn’t really know what to expect. After all, the 90s film starring Whoopi Goldberg as the downtrodden lounge singer Deloris, was a classic during my childhood. Would it translate to a stage show? The simple answer is yes.
It takes no time at all for the audience to invest their emotions in Deloris who, after witnessing a murder, finds herself spending witness protection in a convent. From here, we follow Deloris as she teaches her fellow ‘sisters’ to sing from the soul, while she learns the real importance of sisterhood. In the background, Steady Eddy, the loveable police officer investigating the murder case, has an obvious long-standing crush on Deloris, leaving us desperately willing all involved to find their happily-ever-after.
If you’re hoping to relive your youth singing along to the original movie soundtrack, you’ll be disappointed, but that doesn’t stop the audience from toe-tapping, head swaying and clapping through the score of brilliant musical numbers by composer Alan Menken. Sandra Marvin’s voice as soul singer Deloris is nothing short of impressive, while the harmonies (eventually) hit by the sisters’ choir are note-perfect (at least once the newcomer’s influence kicks in).
(Photo by Manuel Harlan)
Before our eyes we see characters blossom, though it’s young sister Mary Robert who stole my heart as she sings soulfully about ‘The Life [she] Never Had’, only to be seen donning purple knee-high platforms beneath her nun’s habit during the grand finale. Steady Eddy goes from overlooked nice guy to show-stopping hero, with a heart-breaking solo number in the middle that involves not one, but two outfits being stripped from him by backing singers (cue wolf-whistles from the audience).
As the show comes to an end, even Mother Superior, played by Birds of a Feather star Lesley Joseph, and Monsignor O’Hara, the Bishop trying to raise funds to save the church, are head to toe in glitter. A standing ovation brought the curtain down on an upbeat, entertaining show, leaving us to file out into the freezing evening feeling a little bit warmer than we had before the opening act.
Sister Act is at the Bristol Hippodrome until 18th March with shows from Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm and matinees each Wednesday and Saturday at 2.30pm.
https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/sister-act/bristol-hippodrome/