the Nashville Rep at TPAC
Sister Act: Even Funnier Than the Film
Sister Act is the final large-scale production by the Nashville Repertory Theatre this season. The Nashville Rep has a fully established history of nailing musicals calling for choirs, the numerous vocal talents on stage reminding us why Nashville is called Music City. Under the talented Director Jason Spelbring this show is no exception.
The 1992 film Sister Act stars Whoopie Goldberg as Deloris, a lounge singer who witnesses a crime and is put in witness protection at a struggling convent. This leads to culture clashes between her and some of the nuns, and she helps them develop their choir into a talented group that helps raise money for the convent. It’s a delightful fish-out-of-water comedy, and having a woman crack jokes while dressed in a nun outfit somehow makes everything funnier.
This film was adapted into a musical in 2006, with music by Alan Menken (he’s done many Disney films, including Beauty and the Beast and Tangled). The lyrics for Sister Act were written by Glenn Slater, (he wrote the lyrics for Tangled), and are hilarious. Unexpectedly, the music is entirely different from the film’s, and is a traditional Broadway-style musical, unlike the film, where all the singing is diegetic.
This musical adaptation shares the same general plot as the film. Many details are altered and added: this musical takes place in 1970’s Philadelphia, instead of 90’s Reno and San Francisco; Deloris is a less successful musician with a more comically brash personality; Mother Superior is far more likeable; Eddie, the policeman is a romantic interest; characters have added depth. Some of the lines are almost the same, but better: in the musical, Monsignor O’hara reminds Mother Superior that even though she dislikes Deloris, she took a vow of hospitality. “I take it back,” she answers. In the film, her answer to the same statement is the less punny “I lied.” In the musical other comic scenes are expanded. In a later scene, the two women struggle to lead a prayer together as Deloris keeps getting the words wrong, featuring delightful new errors like “Howard be thy name.”
In the film there are two dumb henchmen. The play adds a third and makes each a different criminal stereotype. There’s a delightfully unnecessary song in the second act, “Lady in the Long Black Dress,” which has them explain how they will seduce their way into the convent to catch Deloris. There is a walkway built around the front of the pit, allowing the thugs to practice their arts of seduction up close to the audience. This is probably my favorite song from the show. The ridiculous lyrics and the perfect sexualized choreography is pure comedy.
The Nashville Repertory Theatre has, as usual, a wonderful set. There are two main setpieces, symmetrical and on both sides of the stage, which spin for scene changes, allowing for a greater level of detail and smooth transitions between locations. They have locally made stained glass on stage for the convent, and effective use of the deep backstage for the choral numbers. This level of detail and production quality is satisfying, giving strong bones to the imagination that the musical prompts.
Joi Ware’s choreography for this show is great, making use of the many solo and group numbers, and the ridiculous moves (and handfuls of glitter) chosen for the nuns as they sing in choir is in perfect contrast with their ascetic clothing. One dramatic solo number involved several layers of tearaway clothing. Surprisingly, for a show about nuns, the costumes were fantastic. Sure, for most of the musical the majority of the cast is dressed in sombre dresses. But at the end? Costume Designer Melissa K. Durmon provided glittering sequined nun’s clothing in every vibrant color, with matching shoes.
The music is performed wonderfully under Music Director Sarah Michele Bailey. The orchestra is especially wonderful during the show, nailing their many high-powered brassy numbers. Each member of the cast has an excellent voice, and many characters get to have their own solo song showcasing their talent: of course there’s Meggan Utech as Deloris, who has range and variety, and is able to balance the recklessness of her character with good humor and charm. She makes people’s annoyance with her plausible while she keeps the audience rooting for her. Megan Murphy Chambers as Mother Superior has my favorite solo song of the show, “Haven’t Got a Prayer,” which she sings beautifully. Shelby Talbert is sweet and vulnerable as the young Sister Mary Robert, and Katie Bruno is absolutely hilarious as Sister Mary Patrick. Justin Marriel Boyd is Eddie, the good cop in need of some confidence, and sings with a wide range. Finally, Deiondre Teagle plays TJ, the dumbest of the henchmen, and his nonstop ridiculousness made me laugh over and over again.
Jessica Fichter, the Rep’s upcoming artistic director, joined Interim Director Amos Glass, on stage before the show, and teased next season’s lineup. Sister Act is light, silly, and cheerful, and the two act pacing is perfect and without filler or lag, and guarantees a great night out!
Sister Act will be at TPAC’s Polk Theater through April 19. See The Nashville Rep for tickets and more information. Their next production will be an intimate production of a Ingram New Works: Next Stage project at OZ Arts in May, with the intriguing name BloodSuckingLeech.
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A Nashville native and MTSU graduate, Grace Krenz is a reader, a writer, and an arts enthusiast. She lives in Nashville with her husband and two children.
