By now, “Sister Act” is a story firmly etched into the
cultural consciousness. A lounge singer aspiring to stardom finds herself in
mortal danger when she accidentally witnesses her shady boyfriend murder
someone; suddenly part of a witness protection program, she takes cover in a
local convent, and light-hearted, slightly sacrilegious fun ensues.
It is worth noting that audience members at Rochester
Association of Performing Arts’ current production of “Sister Act: The Musical”
expecting to hear the parodies Whoopi Goldberg made iconic in the 1992 movie
version might be initially disappointed. That shouldn’t be a deterrent,
however. “Sister Act” is a thoroughly entertaining show with consistent and at
times astonishing individual performances.
Of course, the musical hinges on the likability and talent of
its protagonist, Deloris Van Cartier. Here, actor Sable Stewart was more than
up to the task. From the outset, her singing was melodious and spunky,
establishing credibility with the Motown-influenced opening numbers “Take Me to
Heaven” and “Fabulous, Baby.” Stewart’s ebullient voice and charismatic stage
presence seemed to grow brighter as the show went on.
In the role of Mother Superior, Deloris’s foil, Phyl Contestable gave a performance that was muted and
often underwhelming. Contestable lacked the severe, curmudgeonly demeanor of
her character’s counterpart in the film (played brilliantly by Maggie Smith). Contestable’s tone was closer to that of a beleaguered
grandmother. Her solo turn, “Haven’t Got a Prayer,” was admittedly uneven in
its delivery, but Mother Superior’s frustration with Deloris took on a greater
dimension, eliciting sympathy even while revealing flaws of short-sighted
stubbornness.
Without a doubt, the stand out of the production was Alvis
Green Jr. as Lt. Eddie Souther, the policeman tasked
with protecting Deloris. In a head-turning performance, Green’s silken voice
took on a tone and power that was unmatched. Fans of soulful R&B should be
impressed whenever he takes the stage.
RAPA’s production was blessed with a solid, high-energy
ensemble cast, undoubtedly aided by quality songs — by composer Alan Menken and
lyricist Glenn Slater — that were often slyly clever. A great example of this
was “When I Find My Baby, smoothly performed here by Raul Torres, in which
Deloris’s bad-boy boyfriend turns pop song parlance and a love ballad aesthetic
into a menacing death threat (“When I find my baby, I’m not letting her go”). Later,
a parody of The Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” included in the emphatic
“Sunday Morning Fever” was surprisingly effective.
“Sister Act: The Musical” is ultimately a show praising music’s
ability to bring seemingly disparate people together. And RAPA’s production
succeeded.
This article appears in Mar 1-7, 2017.
