REVIEW: "Sister Act"

Sister Act Promotional Image (Nashville Repertory Theatre)

Nuns, cops and mobsters enveloped the Polk Theater of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.

Sister Act is a musical based off of the hit ‘90s movie starring Deloris Van Cartier originally played by Whoopi Goldberg. The show starts with the main character Deloris getting into an argument with her toxic boyfriend, Curtis, and later she finds one of the members of his crew shot dead, with Curtis holding the gun. She runs away straight to the police station where she reunites with Eddie, the boy who had a crush on her in high school, and he hides her away in a church while they wait for her court day to arrive. While there, she undergoes many challenges, learning what life is truly like for a nun.

This show shows the power of music and connection and how friendship can be found among the most unlikely people.

This show succeeded in many ways, with a clear artistic vision, consistent reinforcements of time period and location, some incredible vocalists and stunning costumes.

The show is set in the ‘70s; the decade of disco.

The costumes reflected this time period perfectly with over the top colors and sequins, but also something as subtle as a bell-bottomed jean.

They played with the lighting and set to reflect the time period as well.

The set was multifunctional, with two major set pieces being on a turntable so there could be two locations per set piece. The scenic designer, Gary C. Hoff did a masterful job at immersing the audience in the show.

The set dressing, the stained glass work in the church and the beautiful windows were just some of the beautiful set pieces incorporated in the show. And, those windows were on a pulley system which allows them to fly up into the catwalks and make the transitions quicker and smoother than if they were on wheels and had the crew wheel them off.

The lighting of this show was perfect for the time period and setting.

When Deloris goes to a bar to try and escape from the church, the audience could immediately tell that this was a classic Philadelphia dive bar set in the ‘70s, with a giant disco ball and multi-colored lights to further that narrative.

The spotlights, gobos and use of colorful lights made the scene so beautiful to watch, and this was continued in every scene throughout the musical.

With all of this being said, the show still had one major fault—the audio.

There were points in the show that audience members couldn’t hear some characters at all, which sometimes led to uneven harmonies and it ruined the suspension of disbelief.

In the act one closer, "Take Me to Heaven (Reprise)", there were moments where the mics had lots of feedback and at the very end, audience members couldn’t hear Eddie sing at all.

Justin Marriel Boyd, who plays Eddie, has an incredible voice. His voice spans across about three octaves, and Boyd sang masterfully. He was easily one of the best vocalists of the show, so it was deeply unfortunate that the audience didn’t get to hear him in one of the biggest numbers of the show.

This show does an incredible job at fully immersing audience members into the show, but the audio quality and quantity of problems was truly disheartening.

But again, there were so many highlights to the show, with many of them being the actors.

Starting with Mother Superior, played by Megan Murphy Chambers, she had the voice of an angel.

“Here Within These Walls” was heartbreakingly beautiful, with her soft moments perfectly blending into her gorgeous belt.

Her voice is truly something to be marveled at, and the audience reflected that with a roaring round of applause at the end of the number.

But, her other solo, “Haven’t Got a Prayer” was astounding. It was funny, it was melancholy. It was everything audience members hope for when they go see a broadway show.

Other cast members that were incredible to watch were Curtis’s gang composed of Joey, played by Mateo Palmitier, Pablo, played by Juan Silva and TJ, played by Deiondre Teagle.

Whenever this group would come on stage, the audience would be cackling in laughter.

Their main song, “Lady in the Long Black Dress” had the audience howling.

Palmitier interacted with one audience member throughout the song, rocking his hips, winking and flirting with her throughout the song.

Silva was a prime example of an actor who uses his body for comedy. He had the perfect cartoon run and would throw himself around to make the audience laugh even harder.

And Teagle was dripping with comedy, incorporating sarcasm into almost every line he gave.

This trio rivals the three stooges, and their comedy is on a whole other planet. 

This show was a triumph, and created an atmosphere of pure joy across the theater.

To see the show:

www.tpac.org

Sister Act | Tennessee Performing Arts Center

When Deloris Van Cartier, a lounge singer with big dreams, witnesses a crime, she finds herself hiding at the last place she ever expected—a convent. Disguised as a nun, she shakes up the quiet church community and transforms its struggling choir into a sensation. Sister Act is a joyful, high-energy musical about friendship, faith, and the power of finding your own voice. Sister Act is the feel-good musical comedy smash based on the hit 1992 film that has audiences jumping to their feet featuring original music by Tony- and eight-time Oscar winner, Alan Menken.

Written by Ava Burns