Review: SISTER ACT at Adelaide Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Wednesday 26th March 2025.

That irreverent musical, which should appeal to those with Catholic tastes, Sister Act, has hit town. It is based on the 1992 film of the same title, the 2006 stage version being written by Joseph Howard, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater, a book by Cheri and Bill Steinkellner, and additional book material by Douglas Carter Beane. The stage musical has original music, inspired, we are told, by the film, Motown, soul, and disco. Disco balls are part of the set.

Director, Bill Buckhurst, has assembled a fine cast to work with, including many highly experienced performers, as well as a few newer ones. He has created a work with plenty of pace and excitement.

Musical Director, Daniel Griffin, conducts his small but effective orchestra from one of the two keyboards. Economic imperatives have long since done away with large pit orchestras, multiple very versatile programmable keyboards replacing most of the traditional instruments, retaining only bass, drums, and guitar, as well as a few brass and reed players. Large string sections have been completely eliminated. As keyboards have improved over the years, it is easy to think that the orchestra is many times larger than it actually is.

We first get a glimpse of the crumbling edifice in which the nuns live, and hear a sample of the cacophony that comes from the mouths of their tone-deaf choir, conducted by Sister Mary Lazarus. It is Christmas Eve and Mother Superior addresses the congregation, only to find that they have already left. The scene changes.

In 1970s Philadelphia, Doris Carter, whose stage name is Deloris Van Cartier, wants to perform in the nightclub run by her married gangster boyfriend, Curtis Jackson. She and her backing singers, Tina and Michelle, audition for him, but he turns her down. She then accidentally sees him shoot Clement, a police informant. Jackson’s cronies, his idiot nephew, TJ, Joey, and Pablo, are ordered to catch her. She runs to the police, pursued by them.

The police desk officer turns out to be Eddie Souther, somebody she knew from school as ‘Steady Eddie’. Eddie puts her into the witness protection program and, to her horror, sends her to a convent, Our Ladies of Perpetual Sorrow, where she is renamed Sister Mary Clarence. She is unimpressed that she is locked away, has to wear a habit, and cannot drink or smoke.

The Mother Superior is against taking her in, but is overruled by Monsignor O’Hara, as the impoverished church is being well-paid for helping. Developers are circling and the church is under threat of being sold. The other nuns are not told of the Deloris deception, and they assume that Sister Mary Clarence is a real, if highly unconventional nun.

Caught out after sneaking off to a local bar, Deloris is punished by being put in the rather awful choir. She takes over rehearsing and conducting the group from Sister Mary Lazarus, and completely transforms and modernises them and their repertoire, resulting in higher attendances at Mass, and greatly increased donations to the cash-strapped church. Jackson, however, sees her picture in the newspaper and is determined to get to her and silence her before she can testify against him.

He and his men dress as nuns to get into the convent, and attempt to kill her, but they are thwarted by the other nuns, and the musical ends joyfully as the choir prepares to sing for the Pope, and the Mother Superior accepts that modernisation is, perhaps, not necessarily a bad thing.

There is really not much of a storyline, just enough to link the songs which, although lively, and enable considerable choreography, are already forgotten when leaving the theatre. This is not helped by a sound mix that, like other recent musicals, seems to allow the bass and drums to dominate, obscuring the rest of the orchestration, and making the lyrics somewhat indecipherable.

The second act improved markedly as there were more ballads, with minimal orchestral backing. I can only assume that whoever was mixing the sound was doing it all on headphones and unaware of what it actually sounded like to the audience. Overheard conversations at the interval confirmed that other people could not understand what was being sung and, added to this, some disappointment that the music was entirely different from that in  the film, even though the publicity had stated that it was original music. Who reads the fine print? Not too many, it seems.

Casey Donovan excels in her first lead role, as Deloris Van Cartier, her powerful voice and exuberant performance carrying all before her. There will no doubt be many more major roles ahead for her. She is seldom offstage, and is involved in the vast majority of musical numbers showing that, not only can she sing up a storm, but she can handle the choreography with the best of them.

Donovan’s Deloris is nicely counterbalanced by Genevieve Lemon as the very conventional Mother Superior whose frustration increases and faith is shaken as the growing influence of Deloris seems to be destroying everything that she holds dear. Lemon handles the most poignant scenes and songs superbly, and it is easy to relate to her character as she watches her world suddenly changing, and questions her faith in a moving number, I Haven’t Got a Prayer.

Rhonda Burchmore, as Sister Mary Lazarus, needs no introduction, and there is little that can be said that hasn’t already been said many times before. Casting her in a show is a guarantee that she will add greatly to its success and get praise heaped on her for her performance, and so it is here. She is, as always, wonderful, sings as a “funky bass”, and can even rap!

Sophie Montague, as the perky young postulant, Sister Mary Robert, is an absolute winner. The Sister wonders, having encountered Deloris, what she might have missed by becoming a trainee nun at a young age, Montague garnering much applause for her plaintive song, The Life I Never Led. Keep an eye on this performer.

Best known for his sterling work in opera, Raphael Wong plays ‘Steady’ Eddie Souther, a low-key cop with a desire to be far more than that which he believes himself to be. He explains it as he tries to convince himself in, I Could Be That Guy, with a couple of costume changes that you really have to see, because I am not going to tell you about them.

Damien Bermingham plays Monsignor O'Hara who likes what Deloris has done with the choir, with his progressively more extravagant outfits, and who, eventually donning sparkling spectacles, morphs into an Elton John look-alike.

Adam Murphy plays the villain of the piece, Curtis Jackson, a smart-talking crook, giving his character about as much menace as might be allowed in a musical comedy, and then there are his hilarious minions, The Three Stooges: Jordan Angelides as Pablo, Tom Struik as Joey,  and James Bell, standing out as TJ. This comic foursome brings a good share of laughs to the production.

All of the Sisters have a chance to shine, and their ensemble numbers display fine harmonies, coupled with well-coordinated movement. The big ensemble numbers have the audience cheering and whistling.

After an evening that is heavily set in black and white, for obvious reasons, the finale goes high-camp, with everybody in glittering bright colours, exuberantly belting out Raise Your Voice and dancing with great enthusiasm, which led to an extended standing ovation.

The set is a series of what looks rather like Stargate-style rings incorporating stained glass leadlight window effects, enhanced by elaborate lighting techniques. This very impressive work is due to the Set and Costume Designer, Morgan Large, and the Lighting Designer, Tim Mitchell. Alistair David’s choreography is not excessively complicated, but it is very effective in the large ensemble numbers, and suits the individual or small group scenes where the performers are, clearly, there mainly for their vocal ability.

This is an enjoyable night at the theatre, with much to see and hear in this bright and bubbly musical. It is sure to attract large audiences, so don’t wait too long to book your tickets.

Photography, Daniel Boud.