BWW Interviews: SISTER ACT's Sarah Bolt on Menken, Najimy & Being So Darn Happy

Sarah Bolt is currently starring as the kooky Sister Mary Patrick in the exciting new Broadway production of SISTER ACT. Opening at the Broadway Theatre tomorrow, April 20, the show features a brand new music by multi-Academy, Grammy and Golden Globe Award-winning composer Alan Menken and lyrics by Tony Award-nominee Glenn Slater.

In this musical reincarnation of the 90's hit movie, Bolt takes on Sister Mary Patrick, the role made popular by Kathy Najimy on the big screen. In this exclusive interview with the Broadway star, Bolt gets candid about her SISTER ACT journey, making the part her own, and more!

Have you had your eye on SISTER ACT since it was playing in the West End? How exactly did you become involved with the production?

Actually, I had no idea it was even happening in the West End. I was in WICKED at the time when all of the auditions were starting for the Broadway production, and I heard from a friend of mine that it was coming to Broadway  And I just kinda put it out there and went to a couple of auditions and it happened!  I've always felt that WICKED is such a great gig and it's hard to leave something that's so stable. But I always told myself "Well if you're gonna leave, it will be for a principal role in a new show- to be able to originate a role.' That's something that happens once in a blue moon.

When in the casting process did you get the good news?

It all happened really fast! I know that some people didn't get cast until January, but mine was just one audition at the end of the summer, and then boom, boom, boom - by October it just happened. So it's still a very surreal thing.

So many movies have been made into Broadway shows recently, with varying degrees of success. What do you think makes SISTER ACT work? Why does it translate so well onto the stage?

I think that it definitely still has the heart of the movie, and still has the characters that everyone falls in love with, but at the same time it's its own thing. We have Alan Menken, who wrote all original music, which sort of gives it that 70's vibe that stays true to the time era. Sometimes when some shows try to just put a movie on stage it just doesn't work.  Instead, we reinvented it a bit, while keeping true to the story. It seems to work!

Did you see the movies when they came out in the 90's?

Oh my god, I grew up with that movie! I know that Marla [Mindelle] and I had sort of the same experience. I remember watching that movie again and again, and singing along with it.  I've been told, probably since the 7^th grade, that I remind people of Kathy Najimy.  Every time I would meet someone new they would say; 'You know who you remind me of?' and I would say 'Yep! Yep I do!' Kathy Najimy is someone who I have been in awe of, and totally obsessed with.  So to be able to do her role on stage and make it my own at the same time has just been sort of magical.

So I take it that you were a bigger fan of the first movie?

I've gotta say, I keep with the original. I like the first one the best.  I'm not as familiar with the second one. I still remember liking it, but when I think of SISTER ACT, I think of the first one.

Like you just briefly mentioned, Kathy Najimy is, without a doubt, brilliant in the movies. When you found out that you got the part, did you go back and watch her performance at all? Do you ever find yourself channeling her on stage?

SIt's really easy to want to watch it to pick up things, but since being told that I remind a lot of people of her I wanted to not watch her, because I didn't want to be imitating her. I didn't want to be copying something that was already done - I wanted to stay true to the story but also make it my own. I wanted to be able to tell my own story and be myself, but at the same time not try to reinvent the wheel or anything!

If you could describe your character Mary Patrick in one word, what would it be?

I would just have to say joyous. I think that she's one of those people that you can't help but wanna be around all the time, because they're the kind of person that's able to see the good in every situation and in everyone.  She's so much fun to be around, and she also has a heart of gold at the same time.

Would you say that you're a lot like Mary Patrick?

I think that Mary Patrick is almost like an exploded version of one part of my personality - it's like Sarah being silly on 10.  I don't think that I have the patience to be as happy as her all the time! I think that everyone has a little bit of Mary Patrick in them, but for me, she's me going 100 miles per hour. It definitely takes a lot of energy to play that part eight shows a week, because there's no faking her energy and her joy.

What's your personal favorite moment in the show?

Me, Marla [Mindelle], Patina [Miller], and Marissa [Perry] are the trouble makers of the show, so a lot of my favorite moments happen right before a scene. But onstage, I'd have to say as of now, one of my favorite parts is "Bless Our Show," because it's a chance where we all get to be silly and have fun.  It's that one time in the show that we're not in all of our official nun habits - it's very stripped down. It's the first time that we get to see the nuns being real, and being silly with one another.  It's a real moment of heart and fun that the audience gets to see.

Yes! I loved that song as well! Obviously working on a new Broadway show is different from jumping into a role like you did in WICKED. How has this process been different and special for you?

With WICKED I learned the show in two weeks. You learn the show with a dance captain and with nobody else in a rehearsal room. And then you're just thrown in, and that was amazing and wonderful in itself.  This was so amazing just because you're able to originate something, and be creative.  Seeing that whole creative process hooked together over the span of two months has been indescribable.  To see where it's started and where it's ending up now is a once in a lifetime kind of thing. I feel very lucky to be a part of something like this, and to work with Jerry Zaks, and to watch Victoria Clark work has been a dream.  I have to pinch myself every now and then, because this just doesn't happen. To be a part of it is pretty special.

The nuns as an ensemble are hysterical in the show, and so full of energy.  What's it like sharing the stage with so many talented women every night?

That's what we've been talking about! To have such a strong female show and to be with women that have the talent that they do is unreal. I remember the first day of rehearsal, and just sitting and hearing everyone sing for the first time together... you couldn't help but get a little verklempt.  You could take any one of those nuns and stand them by themselves and they could sing and blow the roof off. So to have a group of us singing together is really special. Each of them is so specific and interesting, and they have their own little stories.  It's pretty incredible.

What do you, as a performer, want the audience to take from the show?

What I've been hearing is that it's almost impossible to walk away from the show in a bad mood.  It's pretty hard not to have an amazing time at that show.  I think it's a really good story.  The last song, "Spread the Love" says it all.  There are so many different little things that you could take away from it, but what I would like is for people to spread the love after seeing the show. Just smiling at somebody on the street can change somebody's day. You get emotional from this show in a good way.  

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus