Keala Settle Archives - North West End UK

Sister Act: A Divine Musical Comedy – Eventim Apollo

28Jul

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

London

Sister Act: A Divine Musical Comedy – Eventim Apollo

This latest revival of Alan Menken, Glenn Slater, Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner’s divine comedy has been a long time coming. Initially conceived as an opportunity to return Whoopi Goldberg to the role she created in the hit nineties film, the planned second coming fell foul of the pandemic. So, two years after its planned debut Beverley Knight is rocking the habit, and the Eventim Apollo, in Bill Buckhurst’s revised production. The production is not short of spectacle with Knight and the singing nuns bringing enough glitz to hold their own amongst the long list of performers who have graced the Eventim Apollo stage over the years. The musical is fairly faithful to the film’s plot - having witnessed a murder Deloris Van Cartier is forced to hide out in a convent helping her ‘...

Sister Act – Palace Theatre, Manchester

30 years ago, Whoopi Goldberg played potentially her most iconic role of Deloris Van Cartier in the blockbuster classic; Sister Act. The movie has since been transferred to the stage as a musical. Despite being postponed two years due to the pandemic, it was definitely worth the wait and is of course, ‘Fabulous Baby’! In a cast that boasts many well-known faces including Jennifer Saunders, Keala Settle and Lesley Joseph, in comparison it is the relatively unknown ‘Sandra Marvin’ who plays the leading role. She certainly brought the sass needed to play the iconic role of Deloris. However, if I am being constructive, she does have a great voice, but it’s not that wow start quality that I would have expected from the leading lady. Saunders was hilarious in the role of Mother Superior. ...

& Juliet – Shaftesbury Theatre

“What if Juliet didn’t kill herself?” is the premise of & Juliet, a fun, feminist retelling of Shakespeare’s famous love story. David West Read’s book reimagines what would happen when Shakespeare is persuaded by his wife Anne Hathaway to re-write the ending, bringing Juliet back to life for a whirlwind journey of self-discovery. With music and lyrics by Max Martin, Luke Sheppard’s production takes everything we know about Romeo and Juliet and gives it a glittery, pop-fuelled makeover that on paper sounds crazy but in reality, is quite the opposite. With Max Martin and his collaborator's extensive catalogue of songs, from Katy Perry to Ariana Grande, each number is carefully thought out, adding a new dimension as the plot moves along, which other jukebox musicals often struggle wit...