“Sister Act”

The story is the same with some very new music and book material added as the stage is much more limited than a movie set. I must say that under the clever hand of director E. Faye Butler and the brilliant choreography of Kenny Ingram, this is a stunning production that will give you the feeling good vibes one needs at this time of year and with the changes our world has been experiencing of late. We have a church that is failing and a young lady, Delores Van Cartier ( a sterling performance by Rae Davenport) who when put together are the perfect combination for a happy ending. With Deloris at the helm, the sisters become a vocal phenom and the once empty church becomes  the place to be.

The talent that is in this production is a combination of Chicago area regulars and some newcomers that are going to be names to remember. One of these performers is Michelle Duffy as Mother Superior. While she may appear to be a new performer, she is a returning one who graced the Drury Lane stage some 30 years ago, and I am glad she is back. A newcomer that I am in hopes will stay in the area is Lawrence Flowers playing the role of Sweaty Eddie, a cop who always had a crush on  Delores and is now the one who saves her from Curtis ( the always reliable Kevin Roston Jr.). His henchmen are played by Jonah D. Winston, Richaun Stewart and Trey De Luna and the Monsignor of the church by Lorenzo Rush Jr. ( who may not be recognizable due to his weight loss- he looks great), but as always, he sparkles.

What truly makes this show work are the nuns. They are terrific: Amanda Walker, Rachel Carreras, Meg Thalken, Kelly Ann Clarke and Christine Perkins and of course the other ensemble members,  Aurora Boe, Kayla Shipman, and Arik Vega. This cast proves that it is not the number of performers you put on a stage, but the quality of the performers that bring the audience to their feet during the curtain call.

While most of the area theater companies are doing Christmas plays and typical holiday shows, this is a show that deals with spirit and truth. The story and its characters deal with joy and hope and of course happiness and happy endings as well as new beginnings, so the holiday spirit does come through, but in a different way. I found the set (Sim Carpenter) to work well allowing scene changes to move swiftly. The costumes ( Leon Dobkowski) were close to realism of the times ( I think we are looking at the 70’s period) but the nuns habits were not the real thing and the afro wigs by Kevin Foster, may have been a little “over the top”. The lighting (Sherrice Mojgani) and sound (  Stephanie Farina and Sarah Ramos) as well as the props (Cassy Schillo) on target as always at Drury lane and the music, led by Chris Sargent ( directed by David Fiorello). I did know a few of the songs: “Take Me To Heaven”, “The Life I Never Led” and “Sister Act”, but found that the other music added a great deal to the storytelling experience, making it a show that I would be happy to see again.