A Class Act

Sheila Hancock & Patina Miller (Photo: Catherine Ashmore)

Sister Act (Photo: Catherine Ashmore)

Patina Miller: A Star Is Born

When Sister Act came out at the cinema I was not overly enthused. It seemed to be just another exercise of energy over imagination; candy floss for the audience. So, as I took my seat for this translation from the big screen to the stage I was dubious.

However, by the final curtain, I was as enlightened as St Paul on the Road to Damascus and came away feeling more entertained that I have done in many a recent trip to the theatre.

For those of you not be familiar with the story, it centres around nightclub singer Deloris Van Cartier (the hugely talented Patina Miller), dreaming of the big time but instead forced on the run and into hiding after she witnesses her boyfriend commit murder.

The police offer her witness protection in a struggling convent until she can testify and she reluctantly accepts. Once the Mother Superior (played by the wonderfully understated Sheila Hancock) assigns her the duty of looking after the choir, Deloris sets about turning the tone-deaf collection of singers into an energetic and triumphant group who raise the profile of the church, the takings in the collection and even the interest of the Pope himself, who comes to see them perform at the finale.

Naturally, the road to success is littered with obstacles, from Deloris’s criminal boyfriend and his humorous henchmen to a Mother Superior resistant to change but we expect it all to work out in the end and it most certainly does.

There is humour and some great musical numbers courtesy of Alan Menken’s gospel-inspired score, along with impressive choreography. High kicking nuns doing the Can-Can isn’t something you see on stage every day!

Still, the entire show is ultimately a vehicle for one talent to emerge above all others and that is in the form of 24-year-old Patina Miller, around whom the entire musical performs.

Her voice is powerful and her energy intoxicating. If you want to see what a rising star looks like then look no further than this impressive young woman.

A standing ovation and rapturous applause all round suggested the audience could tell they were in the presence of someone rather special and although credit should go out to the entire production as a whole for being one of the best shows I’ve seen in the West End for some time, there is no doubting to whom the lion’s share of the praise was directed.

Patina Miller: remember that name. You’re likely to be hearing a lot more of it in the time to come.

*****

Categories

• entertainment
• Comedy
• musical
• Nuns

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