Review: ‘Sister Act’ at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre (2024)

Sister Act, a divine musical comedy, is currently playing at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre.
More information and tickets can be found at sisteractthemusical.com.au

Based on the 1992 comedy film of the same name starring Whoopi Goldberg, Sister Act tells the story of aspiring singer Deloris Van Cartier, played by Casey Donovan. After witnessing her mobster boyfriend Curtis Jackson (James Bryers) kill an undercover informant, police lieutenant Eddie Souther (Raphael Wong) places Deloris in witness protection at Saint Katherine’s Parish, to the dismay of Mother Superior (Genevieve Lemon).

Although this musical is based on a known property, like Beauty and the Beast and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical which are also currently playing in Melbourne, Sister Act features all original music, written by legendary composer Alan Menken, best known for his work on animated Disney classics such as Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Hercules and more.

The magic of Menken combined with lyrics of Glenn Slater is that they can take a cheesy love ballad infused with elements of disembowelment to comedic effects. That song When I Find My Baby is a standout, as is the poignant title song Sister Act and The Life I Never Led sung by Sister Mary Robert (Sophie Montague).

Comedy is also where this musical excels. There are many surprises (those of which I don’t want to spoil), but credit must go to the fabulous Rhonda Burchmore (Sister Mary Lazarus) who isn’t afraid to literally go for it and milk every second of spotlight she’s given.

Although this musical stars Donovan in her first leading role (and its about time too!), the surprising thing is that Sister Act is essentially a diverse ensemble musical with time given to characters you wouldn’t otherwise expect in other shows. Even Curtis’ henchmen TJ (James Bell), Joey (Tom Struik) and Pablo (Jordan Angelides) are given depth. It’s similar to what Menken did with Babkak, Omar and Kassim in the stage production of Aladdin. The trade off is that Deloris’ narrative sometimes takes a backseat as other characters take the stage.

Although Donovan is really in her element. I’d go as far to say its a role she was born to play. Her strong stage presence and natural charisma are the heart of the production. She glides through the bluesy, soul, disco and motown vocal demands with ease while injecting heart and warmth.

The only negative is the stage design itself doesn’t lend itself well to the Regent Theatre. Its shallow depth of field makes it difficult to see certain moments unless seated in the centre. Those further back may also struggle to identify between supporting characters, as all the sisters look similar in their nun habits. Costume designer Morgan Large has made subtle differences to each of their costumes which helps but the Princess Theatre would have been a better choice.

The set design, also by Large, does allow for some clever lighting choices done expertly by Tim Mitchell to complement all the colour and sequin explosion of the final act. At times it appears the lights themselves are also dancing to the beat and rhythm. I’d never seen that done before and it’s difficult to explain but as someone who doesn’t notice lighting very often or at all, I thought it was done to perfection. There’s also some fabulous choreography work by Alistair David, notably in Fabulous, Baby!, Spread The Love Around and Raise Your Voice.

At its core, Sister Act is a celebration of friendship, community and finding oneself in unexpected places. I don’t remember the last time I left a theatre feeling this much joy. Simply, go see it!