re: Official Sister Act Reviews

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 11/3/06 at 12:52am

Have anyone of the theater sources written official reviews yet?

Updated On: 11/3/06 at 12:52 AM

[DAME]

Posted: 11/3/06 at 1:00am

Your a day early. It starts performances on the 3rd. But i don't think official opening is till the 8th.

Updated On: 11/3/06 at 01:00 AM

[James Sims]

Posted: 11/3/06 at 1:33am

I will have a review posted here on the Los Angeles regional page either Monday or Tuesday, as I will be attending the press performance this Sunday. Keep an eye out
Los Angeles BWW

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 11/3/06 at 8:22am

For the people who've seen it, how different is the plot of the show from the movie as far as what happens? Does Deloris have a love interest in the show?

Updated On: 11/3/06 at 08:22 AM

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 11/3/06 at 12:57pm

yes she does have a romance subplot... it's not the greatest part of the book and very weak... but the number for it (the guy sings it) is hilarious and it probably has to go

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 11/3/06 at 2:49pm

playbill.com just put up some photos! looks great!

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 11/3/06 at 4:16pm

oh and other changes... the show is now set in the 70s... and it works really really well... and instead of the nightclub in Reno... it's now a discotec club where Delores performs.. and she's hidden in the convent in the same city... that and the romantic subplot i mentioned with the detective and delores (where in the musical they knew each other growing up)... oh and the mob boss character is like some pimp... it's quite hilarious and works really well for the show... IMO, the book is really strong but could use some tweaking, especially the conflict and resolution between Delores and the Reverend Mother... i'm actually excited to see it again in two weeks!

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 11/3/06 at 5:34pm

hmm that makes more sense. because the nun's go to reno would have been a little annoying and miss siagonish.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 11/5/06 at 4:19pm

Talkin' Broadway is VERY Positive:

"Sister Act for the stage was a no-brainer; the decision to set it in the 1970s was the real genius moment. Turning the light and slightly sappy tale of a lounge singer who temporarily hides out in a convent - shaking up the place (and learning a bit about herself besides) - into a Broadway-bound musical makes a great deal of sense. After all, the script comes with several perfect opportunities for knockout ensemble numbers, as Deloris gets the nuns' choir to rock. But putting it in the '70s gives the musical an identity - a framework to inspire and guide Alan Menken's music; a source of endless comedy for supporting characters, choreography, and costumes; and a concrete emotional grounding for a group of women of faith, who are now trying to survive the age of disco..."

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/regional/la/la230.html

Updated On: 11/5/06 at 04:19 PM

[emg_sound]

Posted: 11/5/06 at 7:19pm

Variety is up. Mostly negative, and what seems to be some odd grammar!

[emg_sound]

Posted: 11/5/06 at 7:20pm

oops, forgot to include the link.

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932046.html?categoryid=1265&cs=1

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 11/5/06 at 7:25pm

hmm yeah. what i like about the show is that the lighting and sets seem great. all the photos look awesome.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 11/5/06 at 10:45pm

I might have to go see this over in ATL in Febuary.

[phantomCA26]

Posted: 11/6/06 at 12:50am

LA Times review:

http://www.calendarlive.com/stage/cl-et-sisteractnov06,0,2007434.story?coll=cl-home-more-channels

[phantomCA26]

Posted: 11/6/06 at 12:51am

LA Times behind-the-scenes article:

http://www.calendarlive.com/stage/cl-ca-sisteract5nov05,0,5056572.story?coll=cl-suncal

[DG]

Posted: 11/6/06 at 1:01am

Honestly, it just didn't work for us. When we were leaving, I told my partner I'd keep maybe 30% of what was there and scrap the rest. He thought I was being generous!

I think they're not focussing on what it was that people responded to about the movie, which was essentially a 'love story' between Delores and the nuns. The moments that worked for me (especially the 'Calling' number all the nuns do, and the confrontation between Delores and the Mother Superior) directly related to that story line. I would jettison the songs concerning the men (or at least cut them WAY down - although, that pimp character's song has got to go!)

I can't say I understood the choice to move the music genre from Motown sound to disco. I don't think the audience conects with that as much. Our audience, which was at about 80%, gave it a very lukewarm response. Part of that might have been this particular production's leads, which didn't really seem to be up to the task at hand. The intent was there, but they just couldn't really anchor an entire show.

Overall, a complete bust for me - but what do I know, I liked LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA . . .

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 11/6/06 at 1:06am

What is the link to the Playbill photos?

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 11/8/06 at 11:25am

You mean the ones here?

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/103215.html

[InfiniteGirl]

Posted: 11/8/06 at 11:37am

FROM REUTERS: LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The Pasadena Playhouse wraps up its 2006-07 season with the world premiere of a hugely entertaining musical comedy featuring savvy lyrics, a bouncy score, a book that gives every character a chance to shine and a cast chosen to perfection.

Without a single superstar onstage, "Sister Act the Musical" makes superstars of everyone in the theater.

Many may approach this adaptation of the hit 1992 movie -- which starred Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith, Kathy Najimy and Harvey Keitel -- with apprehension. But the film serves only as a jumping-off point for the musical. In the movie, Deloris Van Cartier, the wise-cracking entertainer on the run, was closely tailored to Goldberg's unique persona; in the musical, Deloris has a more free-form persona, starting out like a generic Tina Turner and evolving along the way as circumstances dictate. (Obviously, freeing Deloris from Whoopi makes the show eminently more portable -- the show next heads for the co-producing theater, Alliance Theater in Atlanta, and is aimed squarely at becoming a Broadway hit -- as well as creating ongoing ticket sales for fans returning to see each new star taking on the role.)

Hiding behind the skirts of the church as comedic fare has a number of distinguished cinematic precedents in addition to "Sister Act" the movie, including "Nuns on the Run" and "Brother Orchid," and yet "Sister Act the Musical" quickly establishes itself as a stand-alone, self-referencing accomplishment, and one that is likely to become a classic.

What the Tony-, Emmy- and Academy Award-winning team of composer Alan Menken, lyricist Glenn Slater and book writers Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner have fashioned is a multifaceted vehicle that will appeal to everyone who enjoys the kind of unpredictable, surrealistic vitality exploding across the footlights that can only be found in live theater. As might be expected from such a successful establishment-oriented team, there is a rich vein of references to popular culture: musical influences including disco, Disney cartoons and cool jazz and verbal quips from screwball comedies to TV sitcoms.

"Sister Act the Musical" is so well cast that whoever is front and center at any given moment is the star. Dawnn Lewis does an amazing job as the nun on the run, ranging from the raucous high energy and vocal pyrotechnics of her opening set to the bits and pieces of self-reflection as she becomes, literally and figuratively, a star. As the unhappy Mother Superior saddled with Deloris, Elizabeth Ward Land uses restrained poise and an exquisite voice to also win the audience's heart. Around them, an assortment of lovable thugs and nuns clamor relentlessly for attention, while David Jennings and Harrison White vie for Deloris' love with nifty moves of their own.

It only remains to say that director Peter Schneider paces the action with a rare kind of spontaneous precision and great glee; choreographer Marguerite Derricks gives everybody what they can handle, resulting in frequents moments of toe-tapping virtuosity; and Brent-Alan Huffman in the pit conducts with a special blend of musical attention and intensity.

[James Sims]

Posted: 11/9/06 at 12:54am

Just wanted to let the board know I put up a review here on the Los Angeles page: https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=13591

Cheers!

[junglered]

Posted: 11/9/06 at 10:31am

Sister Act is part of our Alliance Theatre series in Atlanta. I'll see the show in January.

[dottedquarter]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 5:05am

Gotta say, I saw the show this evening and was not too impressed. In my opinion, which is just that - my opinion, it's got two great numbers ("When I Got the Call" and "The Life I Never Led), maybe 3 genuine working moments, and one phenominal actress (the woman playing Sister Mary Roberts). The rest of the show seemed misguided, scattered, and out of touch with what made the movie so wonderful. The show never really took time to establish a heartfelt connection between Mary Clarence and the other sisters - which is the only emotion really to be found in the story. So when they risk their lives for each other at the end, it seems quite hasty and superficial. The production seemed to value cartoon genre and schtick over real character interaction.

Setting it in the 70's makes for some funky music, but takes away from what made the plot originally so believable - i.e. songs we all knew with gently and cleverly altered lyrics that to these nuns were radical... not 70's disco ball numbers yelling that your "booty belongs to jesus."

I dunno. I guess I just thought the movie was so great, I felt it should have been treated a little more legit, not with purple vinyl leisure suits, all the booty talk, and "Sweaty Eddie."

However, I very much did enjoy Mary Roberts, Mary Lazarus, Mary Patrick and a handful of other delightful moments. I look forward to seeing how the show grows and morphs.