“Sister Act”

Highly Recommended ****  The Mercury Theater Chicago is back!!! The creative minds that have given us some of Chicago’s best musical theater has reopened after the pandemic. While the pandemic is by no means over, it is at a point where under the covid guidelines, they can bring us back to “live theater” and they are doing so with “Sister Act” based on the  movie of the same name. This is a great way to bring theater back as it is a zesty comedy where we get to meet people who are seeking a better life and a better world. When they announced the production would star Alexis J. Roston as Delores, I knew we were in for a treat.

The first release that we were sent had Mother Superior being played by Chicago favorite Hollis Resnick ( quite exciting), but something changed along the way and this role was taken on by Jane Grebeck-Brewer who I must say is “terrific”. She handled the role to perfection and within minutes I forgot about the original press release announcement. These two were perfect for their roles ( and possibly could both end up being Jeff nominated for their roles).

As most of you know, I have always felt that the ensemble is very important to the total production. Some play many roles doing quick changes of costumes and characters in a short period of time, for a short period of time. Looking at this cast of players, one sees Ed Kross as Monsignor O’Hara ( he is truly a magical comedian, but he also does several little parts that are essential to the story) The story, for those of you who don’t recall,  is about a young singer  Deloris ( Ms Roston is a knockout) who is going to testify against her former employer/lover Curtiss (Denzel Tsopnang). The detective, Eddie ( Gilbert Domally is a delight in this role and his song  “I Could Be That Guy” with a great costume bit is amazing) hides her  at the church.

She is to hide there as a nun and despite Mother Superior’s saying no, the Monsignor says yes. The church is in financial trouble and will be sold t investors. Delores joins the choir and transforms them from almost bearable to the hottest show in town. So hot, the Pope comes to hear them sing. It is a high spirited show with some ladies who bring a true quality to the singing nuns- they are strong singers, actresses and personalities. They will make you smile, laugh and on a few occasions a tear might roll down your cheek. They are Isabella Andrews, Jenny Rudnick, Nicole Cready, Nancy Wagner, and Leah Morrow ( always a delight to watch on stage). These ladies are what makes this show a musical treat. The ensemble ladies join in for the bigger numbers. I told you they handle many roles.

The rest of the ensemble playing many roles that are all key to the movement of the story are: Nicole Armold, Lydia Burke, Ruben Castro, Marcus Jackson, Yasir Muhammadm Austin Nelson and Aalon Smith. They make it all happen.

“Sister Act” is an ensemble piece and under the skillful eye of Director Reneisha Jenkins and the clever set design by Angela Weber Miller we see the small stage of The Mercury Theater transformed into a church and nightclub as well as a police station quickly. The ensemble members do help with these changes as well, keeping the flow of action moving nicely.

The choreography in the show is by Christopher Chase carter and the musical direction by Diana Lawrence. The wigs are by Rueben D. Echoles and the costumes by Marquecia Jordan. Part of the set is the use of video projections ( G. “Max” Maxin IV) and we all know that behind the scenes, we always have L. Walter Streans and Eugene Dizon.

This delightful two hours and twenty minutes of live musical theater with music by Alan Menkin and lyrics by Glenn Slater will continue through January 2nd with performances as follows:

Wednesdays  7:30 p.m.

Thursdays  7:30 p.m.

Fridays  7:30 p.m.

Saturdays  2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Sundays  2 p.m.

Tickets range from $35 and are available by going to www.MercuryTheaterChicago.com

The Mercury Theater is located at 3745 N. Southport in Chicago. Parking can be a little crazy in the area so I suggest you come early and find a spot to dine in along Southport. The area restaurants would appreciate this. We tried the sushi place just North of the theater Called Kai Sushi. Great food and service and some unusual and artistic  rolls.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Sister Act”.

“Sister Act” is recommended for ages 12 and up. Younger children would be up to parents discretion.