For those of an older generation, did you ever look back at sitcoms from the 1970’s and wish they were set to music? Did you ever wish Fred Sanford (from “Sanford and Son”) or Squiggy (from “Laverne and Shirley) broke out into song to better share their deeper wants and desires?
No? It’s probably for good reason because light-hearted slapstick comedy combined with songs sung with contemplative pathos is like mixing oil and holy water. It’s perplexing, awkward and disconcerting. SISTER ACT which opened this past weekend at Theatre Memphis is the musical comedy we didn’t know we needed…because we didn’t. Considering how many popular movies have been transformed of late into Broadway musicals (THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, BACK TO THE FUTURE, etc.) it’s understandable why producers thought a comedic film with a lot of music already in it (“Sister Act” starring Whoopi Goldberg) would be a “no brainer.” Unfortunately, this iteration is simply a “no brainer” set to music. After just coming off a glorious directorial offering (THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG), director Ann Marie Hall does her best to keep SISTER ACT humming, but this musical comedy falls flat under the weight of a shallow script, weaker jokes, and a striving, but mostly amateur cast.
The movie “Sister Act” worked primarily because it was a comedy about a group of repressed, tone-deaf nuns trained by a nightclub singer to break out into soulful songs and dance moves. It was the transformation of the peaceful and pious nuns into hip, wise-cracking badasses that created the humor and were fun to watch. The music was for and about the nuns. The stage version, with songs by Alan Menken (“The Little Mermaid) and Glen Slater have added in forlorn cop songs, smarmy criminal dance breaks and mobster ballads about shooting/stabbing their ex-girlfriends—hilarious, right?
Technically, there is no theatre in town close to matching what Theatre Memphis continues to offer year after year when it comes to sets, lighting, and costumes, etc. Jason Eschofen’s sound design provides crisp, clear, and audibly excellent vocals. The singers’ volumes always balance nicely with Jeffery Brewer’s top-notch orchestrations—orchestrations which include rich and luscious brass mixed with strings—theatre the way it’s meant to be experienced! Amie Eoff’s costumes are always on point throughout, but really shine (literally) in the finale. Jack Netzel-Yates’ set is a divinely inspired gift with large sliding cathedral walls and stained-glass windows scattered throughout and backlit nicely by Nicole Northington’s overall excellent lighting design.
Most of the cast can sing and dance their faces and tails off, but they are also mostly “green” actors who struggle to deliver this already weak material with believability or gusto. As the down-on-her-luck lounge singer running from the mob after witnessing a murder, Mariah Michelle Stokes as Deloris Van Cartier (the Whoopi Goldberg role in the original movie) has a wonderful singing voice and she mugs and delivers with energy. With more roles in her repertoire, she’s destined for greatness.
Trey Oliver as the nervous cop who sweats so much that he’s earned the nickname “Sweaty Eddie,” does his darndest to pull off believability as a forlorn, down-on-his-luck “nobody” secretly longing for the “glamour girl” Deloris. His song "I Could be That Guy" is delivered with earnestness and longing while being punctuated with a clever costuming trick.
Similarly, the ragtag gang of criminals made up of Justin Raynard Hicks, DuValle Henry Jr., Cody Wayne Morris and Thedrick Griffin out to hunt down Deloris Van Cartier before she rats them out to the police try their best to be bumbling and fumbling, but lack the “controlled chaos” and comedic timing to ever be effective or truly funny. Perhaps, their cohesiveness will strengthen over the course of the run, but, for now, their inexperience is a distraction.
The rest of the cast is made up of women all dressed as nuns which makes them literally impossible to distinguish from one another other than to say that there are several standouts which include: the angry one, the goofy one, the old one and the dour one. They’re all appropriately solemn when needed to be and can “cut a rug” to Courtney Oliver’s amusing choreography when called upon—they’re a highlight.
Ultimately, though, it’s Tracy Thomas as Mother Superior, Caroline Simpson as Sister Mary Robert and John M. Hemphill as Monsignor O’Hara who play it just right. Thomas’ Mother Superior exquisitely combines elegance and forced restraint as a “control freak” trying to retain sanctity in the face of crassness. Her gorgeous singing voice soothes with “Here Within These Walls” in Act I and follows it up nicely with “I Haven’t Got a Prayer” in Act II. Her talents as an all-around performer fill the theatre with a presence which confirms she knows just what she’s doing.
Likewise, Simpson’s Sister Mary Robert commands your attention in Act II (after having been hidden in the gaggle of nuns in Act I) with her rendition of “The Life I Never Led.” It’s a powerful song delivered by a fine actor.
Finally, Hemphill continues his streak of characters who begrudgingly convert from skeptics to believers (Mr. Simmons in MEMPHIS, Nicely Nicely in GUYS AND DOLLS) as the devout Monsignor O’Hara. Hemphill’s transformation is contagious, and his jubilation will become yours.
SISTER ACT is a fine community theatre production. Problem is, Theatre Memphis has far exceeded traditional “community theatre” productions for a while now. Over the past few years, the caliber of performers, matched with the technical aspects of the shows, have elevated the theatre’s quality to such exorbitant heights, that eventually one of their shows was going to have to come back down from the heavens—ironically, this is that show.
Yes, this past opening weekend was sold out. Audiences cheered and leapt to their feet during the curtain call, and all could be seen smiling on their way out to the parking lot. They got what they expected--a silly, light-hearted, community theatre experience. However, for anyone hoping to see what Theatre Memphis usually offers, those prayers may go unanswered.
Photos by Carla McDonald
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