Sister Act

A packed house at the Brighton Centre seemed united in thinking that Craig Revel Horwood’s production of Sister Act was heaven sent. He has certainly milked every last laugh from this clever musical staging of the classic Whoopi Goldberg comedy. He is of course blessed with a cast of talented actor/musicians who can sing, dance and play, and personally I cannot keep a straight face when presented with trumpet playing nuns. The story is good, it always was, but so too are the songs penned specially for the musical which are not the classic soul and disco numbers we know from the film. Whoopi Goldberg made the role her own in an iconic performance so for anyone taking on the part of Sister Mary Clarence they have a mighty hurdle to leap, Alexandra Burke leaps it with ease and proves that she can not only deliver the songs but deliver the comedy too, she is a natural. The voice is superb but there is a comic physicality to her performance that is the surprise of the production. The show is a great showcase for that voice but there are also enough numbers and opportunities for the rest of the cast to show off their individual and ensemble vocal skills and this they do, there’s not a weak link in this show. Energy packed, musically joyous and delightfully funny, Sister Act is heavenly!

Brighton Centre

11 January

Andrew Kay

5 stars