Lizzie Bea, Beverley Knight and company in Sister Act at the Dominion Theatre, London. Picture: Johan Persson
Sister Act continues at the Dominion Theatre, London until 31 August 2024.
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
It’s time to rejoice once more, for one of theatreland’s most “heavenly” musicals is back. Audience favourite Sister Act has returned for another London run, this time playing the mighty Dominion Theatre, with the even mightier Beverley Knight as its leading lady. The show is still touring the country at the same time, so having a resident production in the capital too shows the amount of love there is for this musical.
Based on the film of the same name, Sister Act takes place on Christmas Eve 1977 in Philadelphia, when aspiring diva Deloris Van Cartier (Beverley Knight) witnesses a murder by her married lover Curtis (soul singer Lemar). Desperate for protection, Deloris runs to the police, where police chief Eddie Souther (Clive Rowe) comes up with the idea of hiding her at Our Lady Of Perpetual Sorrow church, under the watch of their Mother Superior (Gavin & Stacey’s Ruth Jones). After spectacularly failing to blend in and nearly blowing her cover, Deloris is permitted to sing with the choir, and under her teaching, the group start to sound the best they ever have. However, the rising media attention puts Deloris back in the spotlight and on Curtis’ radar once more, and he has a very different plan in mind for her.
Sister Act has never been particularly deep or profound (neither was the film), but it isn’t trying to be. It sets out to entertain and put smiles on faces, which it does with flying colours and an unashamed sense of fun. The book (by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner, with additional material by Douglas Carter Beane) is sharp and funny, bringing regular laughs while also making audiences care about these women. Alan Menken and Glenn Slater’s score works as a fun fusion of Motown, gospel and disco, with some funny and clever lyrics, and barely puts a foot wrong.
The opening rendition of ‘Take Me to Heaven’ remains shortened which does make its reprise at the end of Act I a little less effective, and replacing ‘How I Got the Calling’ with ‘It’s Good to Be a Nun’ is still a strange decision (the former song was far funnier and it also gave Sister Mary Robert a backstory to explain why she doesn’t know where her true place is). But these are small niggles when overall it’s a great score, upbeat and joyful, and it also successfully defies its original criticism of using original material rather than simply performing the songs from the film.
Confidently directed by Bill Buckhurst, this production of Sister Act feels bold, bright and full of colour, with a great sense of movement, and is a real pleasure to look at. It’s the same production that is touring the country, but it’s been upscaled for the Dominion to great effect, bigger, bolder and more joyful than ever. Lighting design by Tim Mitchell feels even more powerful, and Morgan Large’s sets look even better than before (including a fabulous ‘Glinda-eqsue’ mirrorball bubble for Deloris to glide in on in one particularly brilliant moment).
It’ll come as a surprise to no one that Knight sings the heavens out of this score and remains the absolute powerhouse that we know and love her for, but what audiences may not expect is the strength of Knight’s acting skills and for her comic timing to be as great as it is. She is on superb form, delivering her lines with fierceness and sass in a convincing accent, and is an absolute joy to watch.
Ruth Jones makes for a fantastic Mother Superior too, putting her Welsh tones to great effect and landing the laughs. She also gives the singing a good go too, and although it may not be her strongest suit, it’s far better than other recent performers who’ve stuck with the “talk-singing” approach.
Lemar sounds great but his lack of acting experience does show through in his performance, and he doesn’t make as much of an impact as Curtis as he should, although hopefully he’ll get stronger over the run. Clive Rowe is a hugely lovable Eddie, and though he does have a good voice, his habit of over-singing too many notes could do with reining in slightly.
Finally Lizzie Bea remains outstanding as Sister Mary Robert, still delivering after playing the role on and off since 2022. Endearing with a knockout voice, Bea deserves huge praise for never going onto autopilot despite the long tour shifts, and her ability to make her performance still feel fresh is remarkable. ‘The Life I Never Led’ remains a standout moment and it’s a huge testament to Bea’s likeability and talent.
It may not be Sondheim or Shakespeare, but for pure feel-good entertainment, Sister Act is a triumph on its own terms. Wanting nothing more than to entertain, it hits levels of joyful escapism that make audiences glad they got off their sofa and joined the party, especially with its kaleidoscopic rainbow of a finale that finishes things off on a high. Shining brightly on that Dominion stage, Sister Act really is heaven-sent, and watching it should become a ‘habit’ that never needs to be broken. A joyful noise, indeed.
Rob Bartley
- Beverley Knight plays the role of Deloris Van Cartier until 8 June 2024; Alexandra Burke will play the role of from 10 June until 31 August 2024.
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