Sister Act: The Musical

I had the lovely JD come and stay with me and Smee after her conference in Manchester. I had said to her "You can't come all the way to Manchester and NOT come to London". She enjoyed the sights around town and as a thank-you took me out to watch the Sister Act musical which opened recently. The last time I watched the movie was ..... I don't know but it is a good movie. Who wouldn't enjoy a movie whereby nuns sing their rendition of pop songs?

I didn't do much research into the stage musical, but I knew that Whoopi Goldberg was involved in the it's production. That's always a good sign.

Those who are diehard fans of the movie and wanting the stage version to be a duplicate, be prepared to be bitterly, bitterly disappointed. The story is now set in the 1970s and a new character (not always a bad thing) Sweaty Eddie is introduced. Asides from the passing reference to Sister Sledge and The Village People, NONE of the commercial hits which featured heavily in the movie were in the stage musical. Additional songs are always written for musicals so during the first 10 minutes I wasn't terribly surprised to hear a unfamiliar melodies but then it became a case of me waiting... waiting... 'When are they going to sing I Will Follow Him?' ... waiting... waiting....

At the intermission I said to JD "Gee, all the songs are different' and that's when she told that she had read in the paper that an entirely new score had been written for the stage version. Oh duuuuuhhh! That's not to say the music wasn't enjoyable. All throughout I kept thinking that some songs felt Al Green-ish and some very Disney-esque. I'm an unashamed fan of Disney so that did me no harm. My Disney ears must be well-tuned because I came home and searched for the wiki entry and found out that Alan Menken was indeed responsible for the score!

The lead actress performing the role of Doloris is the super-supercute Patina Miller. She had understudied the role in the US and was just pure excellence. If there's a single reason to watch Sister Act then Patina would be it. She's the only reason why I would watch it again or any other musical she featured in. She looked like she was having a ball. I want to be her friend!

I'll be honest, the show will definitely draw in a general crowd and be a commercial success but I felt there was something.... just... lacking. I can't put my finger on it. I've read a few negative reviews to see if someone else could identify what 'it' was but I haven't found such a review. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the show, but something just stops me from telling everyone I know to 'go see it! and stuff like 'it is sooooooo good'. In contrast I will tell everyone to see Jersey Boys and I will FORCE you to like it. Hahaha... I don't get that urge with Sister Act. Another reviewer found it 'hideously formulaic' and maybe that's it.

For those wanting a taste of the music, check out the official link but here are my personal highlights:

• Sweaty Eddie's solo - I Could Be That Guy. Dancing with the homeless men was a nice touch.
• TJ, Bones, & Dinero who are after Deloris - Lady in the Long Black Dress
• Deloris and the nuns - Take Me to Heaven
• Deloris - Fabulous, Baby!