Yesterday I saw the “new” Broadway musical Sister Act, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glen Slater, book by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner and additional material by Douglas Carter Beane. I have always loved the music of Alan Menken, and I have been aware of this show since its Pasadena Playhouse debut a few years ago, so I was interested in seeing what the final product was.
Patina Miller is fantastic as Deloris Van Cartier, a struggling nightclub singer in 1978 Philadelphia who unwittingly sees her gangster boyfriend shoot one of his cronies. One of her songs, "Fabulous, Baby!" is probably the best tune in the show. The role is a bit of a caricature but Ms. Miller does the best that she can and carries the show on her back, as she is rarely off-stage for any significant plot moments or periods of time. As a result of what she has seen, she is placed into a convent as a way of offering her protective custody until her boyfriend’s trial when she can testify against him. She has an understandable culture shock upon her arrival at the convent, with its’ lack of materialism and emphasis on earthly possessions in favor of prayers and chores. She makes friends with Sisters Mary Lazarus (Audrie Neenan), Mary Patrick (Sarah Bolt), and Mary Robert (Marla Mindelle), all named after different patron saints. Mary Robert has the most developed subplot, as a timid postulant struggling to find her voice both in and out of the choir room. Deloris, as Sister Mary Clarence, takes over the struggling choir, and teaches them how to sing in harmony and with extra soul, raising the profile of the church. Their habits get more outlandish as their success increases.
Her police contact, Eddie Souther aka "Sweaty Eddie" has had a crush on her since high school. Chester Gregory makes the most of his limited role and excels at commanding the stage when he is present. He seems to often get stuck in a sidekick or supporting role, and it would be great to see him have a leading role. His solo number, "I Could Be That Guy" features wonderful costume quick changes against the backdrop of bums under a freeway ramp.
Victoria Clark was absent at the performance I attended, and Jennifer Allen played Mother Superior instead. She's a great actress with many solid credits and did a fine job in a mostly thankless role. I wonder how her performance differs from Ms. Clark's. She has a few songs sprinkled throughout the show, the most memorable being "I Haven't Got a Prayer". Fred Applegate is quite amusing as Monsignor O'Hara who is willing to sell the failing church to the highest bidder for extra funds until the popularity of the church choir changes their fortunes.
On the other side of the law, Kingsley Leggs plays Curtis Jackson, Deloris' married boyfriend. He appears to be an ineffectual Shaft wannabe who can only control people by threatening or shooting them. Demond Green, who was wonderful in The Toxic Avenger Musical, plays Curtis' nephew TJ. The character voice Mr. Green uses is one he also employed in Toxic Avenger, and it becomes a little annoying after a while, as it makes him sound retarded and gay. His character is implied to be the former, but I'm not sure that the latter is intended as well. Caesar Samoya plays Pablo, a stereotypical Hispanic thug who speaks mostly in Spanish or broken English. John Treacy Egan, always a wonderful actor who gives solid performances fares a little better as Eddie, leading a nun seduction song called "Lady in the Long Black Dress".
Most of the play's humor seems very silly and slapstick, the plot a bit contrived, and the stakes don't feel very high at all, so it's hard to get emotionally invested in these characters. I usually love Alan Menken scores, but many of these songs were forgettable, even within the context of the show. Glen Slater has some bits of inspired wordplay in the lyrics, but for the most part the songs sound like somewhat generic disco/soul ditties, with a bit more of a Broadway bent for the songs sung by the nuns in character (not as a choir). Still, the only songs that made a truly positive impression are Deloris' "Fabulous, Baby!" and Curtis' "When I Find My Baby". I had read mixed-to-negative reviews of this show previously, and I agree with some of the points that were made about where this show could use improvement. The show is set in a different time/place than the movie and Ms. Miller's characterization of Deloris is different than Whoopi Goldberg's, but other than that, the musical appears to be a faithful adaptation.
If you have an interest in seeing this musical, then by all means go see it. If you don't have an interest in seeing it, that's alright as well. Movie-to-musical adaptations are often hit-or-miss, and the ones that succeed don't simply recreate the films but rather rework and improve them. The Producers is an example of the source material being changed and improved. There are many adaptations I have enjoyed, and a few I have not, but I don't dislike the genre as a whole, as there are many stories that are improved and find new layers through musicalization. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Hairspray are examples which come to mind. I expect to see Catch Me if You Can before the end of its' run, and I will continue this discussion about musicals based on movies at that time. In summation, Sister Act is great for families which need something to see together, but otherwise does not live up to its' potential, as has been the case with many of the musicals to play the Broadway Theatre in the last decade, joining Shrek, Bombay Dreams, and The Color Purple as musicals that have somehow missed their mark and fallen short of the gold.
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