SISTER ACT Headed to Broadway Spring 2011 — Page 2

Keep in mind guys, that this show needs a lot of space for it's scenic aspect...
Isn't the Hirschfeld known for it's notoriously small wing space?

"Also...the equity exchange could very well be for one of the stars in LoVE NeVER DiES. Slater is the lyricist for both, so it could be to fulfill the impending exchange with that one. (Remember the Palladium is a Lloyd Webber house, so he very well could have worked this out with Slater) Trevor Nunn was still paying for the Woman in White equity exchange with Gone with the Wind when he cast Jill Paice (ironically again) as Scarlett!"

The Equity exchange rule is one-sided. British Equity does not require a British actor be cast in the Broadway production if an American actor is hired for the West End production.

I know I'm probably in the minority, but like the show itself, I thought Patina was just ok. Fantastic vocal performance and serviceable acting/comedy. I was really flummoxed and distracted by her strong Southern accent which sounds almost like a conscientious acting choice when she hammers home the twang, which doesn't really make sense anywhere in the script. Just one little line to give a little background as to why she might sound completely out of place would help tremendously, but maybe that's just me. I couldn't stop thinking about it the entire show. Love her singing, but she threw away so many comedic opportunities, the dialogue scenes came off as rather flat. I just didn't get the feeling of a "star-making" performance when I saw her in the show. Perhaps it was because I saw it on the heels of seeing Sheridan Smith in Legally Blonde, which REALLY felt like a new West End STAR was bursting onto the scene. Even though Sheridan's been on the West End previously, this is really a breakthrough performance for her. I just didn't get that vibe from Patina Miller.

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I won't call it a flop. They're looking to move it to a smaller theater come November as it's playing in that huge London Palladium. I hope they're successful in finding a new theater by the fall.

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I think the most recent update is that they are no longer seeking a new theatre for Sister Act in the West End. A smaller theatre would be something of an improvement as the giant rising cheese wheel was completely unnecessary to the staging. At times, I even found it to be distracting and oppressive, such as with the song Fabulous, Baby. The number seemed to be dwarfed by being perched atop the giant wheel which didn't exist for any other reason than to define the location of the nightclub (because nightclubs are often round?). Nothing of the sort was needed for any other locale in the musical. It was a piece of stage gimmicktry that simply wasn't justified. And unless it was already built into the theatre, I'm guessing it was pretty expensive to build and operate. Cutting the budget of the show can begin right there. They can also cut the cherub at the top of the house inside the theatre. It added nothing to the atmosphere and it did nothing. Spend the money on fixing the book and replacing three or four songs (mostly for the men).

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