A Review of Sister Act

By Increscent Editors

March 2022

The curtains open with a swish, and suddenly, sequins reflect thousands of magenta beams over the entire auditorium. A new face takes the stage, and out comes a voice so powerful it commands the attention of all in the audience. This is only one of the fantastic scenes throughout the musical Sister Act.

Drama director Gregory Wallendal and the cast, once again, came to bat and did not miss. The musical was under the direction of Sam Hoppe for choreography, Mathew Anderson for music, and Eric Stibbe for tech. Production began a couple of months back, and the crew worked tirelessly to bring the show to life.

The cast features incredible actors, both recurring and new. A classic fish-out-of-water story gets a soulful twist, with disco-inspired musical numbers at every turn, and comedy for the entire family. The leads, Zantranique Jennings, Sofia Romero, James White, Chance Cornell, and some of the supporting cast, including Danielle Lang, Brooklyn Westbury, and Abby Grenawalt provide colorful solo songs and quirky, unique dance numbers.

Sister Act follows the story of Deloris van Cartier, an aspiring club singer, who witnesses a murder and is put into witness protection as a nun in a convent. These moments provided great comedic relief with the amusing actions and sound effects. When we eventually transition to the convent, the story only continues to improve. It is evident that there is a developing relationship between Doloris and Mother Superior, though neither of them wishes to admit it at this point.

As the musical progressed, we could see Doloris living the life of a nun—both the ups and downs of it, and trust us, there was definitely a mix of both. Eventually, it becomes clear that there is a mutual change happening with Doloris and the convent. The nuns who were once soft-spoken were now singing bold solos that shocked the crowd. In the same vein, once materialistic Doloris becomes a bit more tempered.

Moreso than that, Doloris is beginning to feel a deeper connection with those in the convent and the surrounding community. Under her direction, the choir begins to sing with soul and purpose, which draws members of the community in. This peaks with the threat of the church’s closure being exterminated, as they had raised more than enough money to save it.

The only problem was that this attention brought Curtis’ awareness to Doloris’ location. It is this awareness that brings the musical to its close, with a dramatic scene where all of the nuns are willing to step in front of a loaded gun to protect Doloris.

The plot alone was quite engaging in this musical, but it was second to the vocals. As was previously mentioned, the cast had phenomenal vocal performances, and those alone would keep you vying for more. Jennings had this soul in her voice that completely immersed us in the show. Then, Romero would come on with equally amazing vocals that left you feeling the story. Cornell and White also provided great performances that left crowds equally as intrigued.

While the performance as a whole was great, there were some scenes and lines that felt slightly rushed.

It was not just the leads that made this performance possible, as there was much that occurred among the supporting performers and the backstage crew. Without these other roles, it would not have been possible to put this musical on. The set alone was constructed with the help of over 40 people, and the backstage crew consisted of around 20 people. These people were also crucial to ensuring the performance could go on.

Overall, Sister Act receives a rating of eight out of 10 golden geese. The musical has now concluded, but there will be a chance to see future productions in the upcoming school year.