Review: It’s A Big Ole Hallelujah For Taproot’s Terrific Production of “Sister Act”

Sister Act @ Taproot Theatre

Extended through August 17, 2024

Understudies rock! They are the “save the day” wait-ers in the wings, ready to jump into action on a moment’s notice. Often, you the audience don’t even know an understudy has substituted for an actor unless you read the tiny notes added quickly to programs.
 
On the night I saw Sister Act at Taproot Theatre, two understudies went on: Cherisse Martinelli needed to step out of her regular role (Sister Mary Theresa) and go on as Sister Mary Robert; Lauren Engstrom then stepped in as Sister Mary Theresa). Neither of them missed a beat and flawlessly performed every song and choreography!
 
This fun musical came after the movie of 1992. That’s a bit unusual because most often it’s the other way around. It focuses on a would-be-famous singer, Deloris Van Cartier (Alexandria J. Henderson) who has a sad history of picking the wrong man. When she’s hanging out with Curtis (Danny Kam), clearly a gangster, he shoots one of his men as a snitch and she has to run.
 
When she runs to the police station, she finds an old high school friend (Charles Simmons) who decides the safest place for her is a nunnery. While Mother Superior (Anne Allgood) is very unhappy, Deloris, now Sister Mary Clarence, tunes up the woeful singing of the nuns and the church begins to attract a lot of attention and some badly needed money. Of course, notoriety is not the best idea for Deloris’ safety.
 
Director Bretteney Beverly has her hands full for many reasons: it’s a “big” show on a small stage; there are a lot of characters so she double and triple casts some roles. What is undeniable is the quality of the cast members.
 
Aside from two of our city’s best leads (Allgood and Henderson) who turned in exactly the right performances, the nuns are a ton of fun (Ania Briggs, Martinelli, Connie Corrick, Rebecca Cort, Hannah Schuerman) as they embrace the idea that disco can be religious prayer, and Eyual Degaga, Christopher Clark, and Rolando Cardona play the henchmen for Curtis, with gorgeous moments of harmony.
 
Simmons is lovely to watch as he gains confidence in himself and has a couple of strong solos. Kam, who I am so happy to see on stage again, is so much fun as both Curtis and Monsignor O’Hara. His singing is killer, and he is so different in each role, I will bet that there are audience members that would swear those are two different actors.
 
Usual solid tech support is provided by Mark Lund (set and sound design), Esther Garcia (costumes), Ahren Buhmann (lighting), and Michael Nutting and R.J. Tancioco (music direction). With a turntable staging, moving from a nightclub to a church was seamless and fast. There are some audio issues where the musicians generally overpower the singers and we lose the lyrics (a not-unusual musical theater issue), which I wish could be balanced more toward the singers.
 
Choreography by Jimmy Shields was spot-on and carefully calibrated to fit the small stage area. It added a lot of pizzazz. It’s pretty fun to see nuns rocking out disco-style.
 
The show has been extended an extra week. Totally family friendly (except for that one murder on stage).

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