Comedy features unexpected drama, Until January 21 (From Wiltshire Times)

Sister Act, Bristol Hippodrome

2:59pm Friday 13th January 2012 in Theatre & Arts

WITH hilarious comedy, catchy lyrics and more glitzy looking nuns than you can imagine, Sister Act is a scream of a performance.

The show, an adaptation of the hugely popular film produced by Whoopi Goldberg herself, didn’t start well however – the opening of Act One felt flat and the music (Alan Menken) somewhat irritating, not to mention the inaudible words (Glenn Slater).

But Edward Baruwa’s Eddie Souther shines through somewhere in the middle and my, oh my, how the show changes. It suddenly went into fifth gear.

The choreography of the nuns at the convent where Deloris Van Cartier takes refuge to escape her murderous lover Eddie was simply brilliant.

Seeing Cynthia Erivo’s Deloris bring their singing voices from a somewhat hellish nightmare to a heavenly resonance in Raise Your Voice and Take Me To Heaven (Reprise) was one of those uplifting moments you come to expect in this genre.

But as the interval drew to a close something wasn’t quite right. Erivo was unwell and unable to continue and, after a significant delay, Act Two came crashing back on to stage with the incredible Gemma Knight Jones taking on the role with a vigour and energy that we hadn’t seen in Erivo’s performance.

The wait was worth it because Act Two escalated into an all-singing, all-dancing triumph which I will not forget in a hurry.

By the end of the show the whole house was on its feet.

Michael Wilkinson