Sister Act Musical Review

To celebrate passing my degree, Mike took me to Argyll Street in London to watch Sister Act The Musical and Lord, was it Nun hell of a show!

Patina Miller (playing Deloris Van Cartier) gives a truly inspiring performance. From the moment she takes to the stage her voice is both powerful and enchanting – wholly captivating the attention and adoration of the audience. Patina perfectly portrays the humorous character of Deloris Van Cartier as gloriously as Whoopi Goldberg did in the film version. I left the theatre feeling uplifted and confident…what I’m trying to say is as a white guy, Patina makes me wish I were born a black gal!

The next thing I was most impressed by were the set changes. I know it’s a bit of a weird thing to mention in a review but the set changes were truly spellbinding. I was amazed at the transitions from one place to the next, taking the audience from clubs and hotel rooms, to the hallowed halls of the Convent – I’ve never seen transitions between set changes quite as well executed.

In terms of the music, ‘Here Within These Walls’ and ‘Fabulous, Baby!’ (check them out on YouTube) were my favourite songs of the night. Here Within These Walls is a beautiful song s performed by the Mother Superior (played by Sheila Hancock). It tells the story of the convent and how it’s separated from the rest of the world, making it a sanctuary from sin…Fabulous, Baby! is an amazingly uplifting song that simply makes you want to sing along.

Unfortunately I have to say I didn’t rate Simon Webb’s performance as Shank…I thought his acting made the portrayal of the character too pantomime. Having said that, his voice was strong and he delivered his songs in the show with great accuracy but something just wasn’t there for me.

All in all I highly rate the show and it’s talented cast. If you want to see a truly uplifting and easy-watching show in London’s West End then Sister Act is one performance not to be missed!