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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Sister Act
Director and choreographer Jeff Calhoun and his designers and cast have taken this silly premise and made it sparkle. The story began its life in 1992 as a non-musical movie starring Whoopi Goldberg, while the musical adaptation by Alan Menken (music), Glenn Slater (lyrics), Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner (book) premiered in Los Angeles in 2006, opened in London in 2009, and subsequently ran on Broadway, with Douglas Carter Beane's book revisions, for more than a year. Scenic designer Paige Hathaway has created a clever set that, with minimal changes, begins as the glitzy Philadelphia nightclub where Deloris Van Cartier (Nia Savoy-Dock) auditions for its mob-connected owner, Curtis Jackson (Derrick D. Truby Jr.), and transforms itself into the convent where Deloris, temporarily renamed "Sister Mary Clarence," goes undercover. She has found a way of making sequined curtains harmonize with elements of Gothic architecture. Savoy-Dock gives a full-out and appealing performance as Deloris realizes that her bravado is not going to keep her alive without other people's help, and her feeling of purpose when the Mother Superior (Sherri L. Edelen) puts her in charge of overhauling the convent's rather pitiful choir. Edelen, a past recipient of two Helen Hayes Awards, offers a well-calibrated performance that allows her character to vent her frustrations without sacrificing her dignity. On the other hand, the more broadly drawn characters are a delight. Truby and his crew (Jimmy Mavrikes, Trenton McKenzie Beavers, and Dylan Arredondo) express their less socially acceptable feelings through songs with riotous lyrics and Calhoun's choreography, by turns threatening and inappropriately suggestive. Joe Mallon wins the audience's hearts as a sad sack police officer who has loved Deloris since they were in high school. Max Doolittle's lighting designs use color to set the mood, most notably in a scene in which the supposed nun makes an unsanctioned escape to the outside. Costume designer Ivania Stack has fun with the 1970s fashions, including a three-piece, rust-colored leisure suit for Truby and Savoy-Dock's attention-grabbing looks, while creating a suitably ecclesiastical look for the nuns and Monsignor O'Hara (Lawrence Redmond). Music director William Yanesh and his seven musicians provide a full orchestral sound from their "pit" in front of the stage. Sister Act runs through May 17, 2025, at Ford's Theatre, 511 Tenth St. NW, Washington DC. For tickets and information, please call 202-347-4833 or visit fords.org. Music by Alan Menken Cast: |
