Guildford School of Acting has done it
again. ‘Sister Act’ is reintroduced to British audiences by the Third Year
Musical Theatre students and, even after seeing it in the West End, I was blown
away by the powerful, religious, glamour musical. Directed by Gary Lloyd, the
audience is thrilled with the music of Alan Menken and Glen Slater and a witty,
comedic script by Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner, encapsulating us in
this incredible world for one night.
The two leading ladies of this show are
awe-inspiring. T’Shan Williams raises the roof from curtain up as the glamourised,
fame-driven singer Deloris Van Cartier. Her progression of having the convent
as protection, to changing the convent, to the convent changing her is a tough
role to take on but, accompanied with a killer voice, the audience are
engrossed by this commendable performance. Contrastingly, Kelly Hampson
performs as the modest, composed and sharp Mother Superior and upholds possibly
the hardest role in the show. She manages to hold the stage in less
aesthetically pleasing but more tender and emotional moments of the musical;
her solos capture the audience and lead to rapturous amounts of applause after.
Beyond her rule driven ways, we see what is truly at the heart of Mother
Superior; the tenderness and faith that come to the surface in a stunning final
duet between the two unforgettable leads.
Accompanying the talented twosome is the
superfluity of nuns who each bring a quirky, individuality to their roles. From
the geek to the old granny, each cast member had their time to shine. These
sassy party- dancing nuns kept going throughout whole show, adding life and
comedy to the choreography of Gary Lloyd. Let us not forget Sister Mary Robert,
played by Alisa Davidson, whose voice did not seem to shine at first but by Act
Two the audience were left speechless with the power and drive she delivered in
her solos.
Clearly the female characters outnumbered
the male in this musical but we weren’t without the love interest, the bad guy
and the comedy trio. Both Sam Aires and Runar Kristinn accurately portray their
parts of ‘Sweaty’ Eddie and Curtis to the audience but, for me, the true stars
of the male cast were Gareth Evans, Christopher Blackburn and Joe Henry as the
comedy trio. At first we only catch glimpses of this ridiculous group, their
eccentric physicality and timely lines but their song later in the show exposes
the absurdity behind their characters and the audience are in fits of laughter
within seconds.
Everything about this show was done with
purpose and to an exceptionally high standard. Even the set quickly and
effectively turned the backstreet, dull glamour into the beauty and serenity of
a church. Although complicated, and a few minor change over mishaps, it was
visually stunning to see such an intricately designed set.
From the back-up dancers in the opening
number (how did they walk in those heels?!) that supported Deloris with cheek
and power to the complex comedy chase scenes and the stereotyped musical
theatre moments (because everyone just starts dancing in the streets with two
second costume changes) made for this overwhelmingly, astonishing soul musical.
The versatility of these young performers is staggering, especially after having
seen all of them in either ‘The Addams Family’ or ‘Lift’, and I wish them the
best of luck for the future. Not one audience members came out without a few
dance moves and singing ‘Take Me to Heaven’ so I can tell you now you do not
want to miss out on another of Guildford School of Acting shows.
Guildford School of Acting productions can
be found at
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