Sister Act at CPT

Last night I went to see Sister Act, the musical based on the 1992 movie of the same name starring Whoopi Goldberg, at CenterPoint Theatre and I thoroughly enjoyed myself! The story is informed by the movie but the setting has been changed to Philadelphia in the 1970s (which allows for some great period costumes and choreography) and the songs are all original. A nightclub singer named Deloris Van Cartier (McKenna Kay Jensen) accidentally sees her gangster boyfriend Curtis (Dan Frederickson) kill someone so she is placed in the Queen of Angels Convent by a love-struck policeman named Eddie (Craig Williams) to keep her safe until she can testify against him. She wreaks havoc on their orderly way of life until the Mother Superior (Hazel Rowe) puts her in charge of the choir to keep her out of trouble. The new and improved choir's unorthodox performances bring people back to church but all of the attention puts the convent in danger when Curtis and his henchmen see Deloris on TV. This is such a fun and energetic show and I found myself laughing out loud multiple times! Jensen, who has an incredible voice that just about blows the roof off the theater, gives a really flamboyant performance as Deloris and I especially enjoyed her antics while she tries to teach the nuns to dance and all of the sass she gives to the Mother Superior. Frederickson, Christian Lackman (as T.J.), Oran Marc de Baritault (as Joey), and Jeremy Botelho (as Pablo) almost steal the show in the songs "When I Find My Baby" and "Lady in the Long Black Dress" with their hilarious disco moves (and their leisure suits). The same could be said of Williams in his song "I Could Be That Guy," which features back-up singers, who emerge from piles of garbage in shopping carts, and a dead cat! Dan Call, as the Monsignor, made me laugh every time he was on stage, especially when he acts as an emcee (with a bedazzled microphone) during the choir's performances and when he periodically reveals the total amount of money raised for the church improvement fund on a tote board. The choreography is a lot of fun in the songs "Raise Your Voice," "Take Me To Heaven," and "Spread the Love Around," which are sung by the choir, and I especially enjoyed it whenever Sister Mary Theresa (Chris Brown), an older nun, was a step behind everyone else. The costumes are completely over the top. The Monsignor's vestments get more and more elaborate as the show goes on and the purple and gold sequins on the nuns' habits are fabulous, baby! The orange and black plaid jumpsuits worn by Deloris' back-up singers are also quite spectacular. I really enjoyed the sets and the projections, particularly all of the stained glass windows because they are also projected on the ceiling.  I highly recommend this entertaining show for a fun night out. It runs through Sept. 4 on the Barlow Main Stage and tickets may be purchased here.