Sister Act the Musical

This show has now closed, click here for a listing of current and future London shows

Previewed 7 May 2009, opened 2 June 2009, closed 30 October 2010 at the London Palladium

When Disco diva Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a murder she is put in protective custody in the one place cops are sure she won't be found - a convent! Disguised as a nun, she finds herself at odds with both the rigid lifestyle and an up tight Mother Superior. Using her unique disco moves and singing talent to inspire the choir Deloris breaths new life into the church and the surrounding community, but in doing so blows her cover. Soon the gang is giving chase only to find them up against Deloris and the power of her new found Sister Hood.

"Glorious fun. Strong, funny and touching - a cracker. The cheers and standing ovation were both genuine and deserved" The Daily Telegraph

The musical Sister Act in London has music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Glenn Slater with book by Cheri and Bill Steinkellner. The show is directed by Peter Schneider with choreography by Anthony Van Laast, sets by Klara Zieglerova, costumes by Lez Brotherston, lighting by Natasha Katz and sound by Mick Potter.

"Sister Act the movie had Whoopi Goldberg and Maggie Smith. Sister Act the Musical boasts a rotating statue of the Virgin Mary, as sparkly as a glitterball and the size of a large upended truck. It's safe to say the stage show trumps the film -- at least for aficionados of serious kitsch, for whom it should become a site of pilgrimage to rival Hairspray and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. The original was set in 1990s Reno and San Francisco; here, we're transported to disco-era Philadelphia... The show's ultimate message is as warm as woollen mittens: self-centred Deloris learns the true meaning of sisterhood. Though it seems more than a tad disingenuous when she sings: 'I don't need a spotlight'." The Sunday Times

"A surefire summer blockbuster, guaranteed to lift the spirits" The Sun

"It's not the most original story in the world... What transforms this into what will, absolutely, be this summer's feelgood night out in London are the sets, which ravish the eye and dance with glee, underscoring far more than the script the difference between the sleaze of one world and the spartan beauty of another, and, most importantly, Patina Miller as Deloris, whose sheer sexy singing vim leaves the film's star, Whoopi Goldberg, looking retrospectively miscast... If you like to save up for big-budget musical spectaculars, this is your night this summer." The Observer

"A ludicrously enjoyable show. Sister Act is simply divine" Time Out

"This comic yarn - about Deloris, the brassy lounge singer, who's obliged to hole up in a convent and turns the nuns into a red-hot funky choir - is irresistibly enjoyable in parts, though the book, scripted by Cheri and Bill Steinkellner of Cheers, is surprisingly feeble, with a simplified plot and tiresome two-dimensional caricatures... It's hard not to rejoice in this show's impish irreverence and in composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater's cheeky conversion of song genres." The Independent on Sunday

"A divine all singing, all dancing musical comedy brings genuine rays of heavenly happiness to the Palladium stage" The Daily Express

"The stage version has a new score, but doesn't wander far from the film in which Whoopi Goldberg starred as Deloris, a singer in a tacky club who sees her sleazeball gangster boyfriend gun down an informer. Being a murder witness means that Deloris will be next on the hit list, so she seeks sanctuary in the local convent... The point of the story is mutual salvation: hard-bitten Deloris puts soul (and Motown and gospel) into the sisters' voices, shows them how to do the cancan, and discovers the voice of her own soul - as well as some restraint... A muted hallelujah." The Mail on Sunday

"A habit-forming triumph" The London Evening Standard

Based on the smash-hit movie, Sister Act in London features a score by eight time Oscar winner Alan Menken. The stage adaptation was originally produced at the Pasadena Playhouse in the USA in November 2006. The original film of Sister Act was released in 1992 and features Whoopi Goldberg as 'Deloris Van Cartier / Sister Mary Clarence' along with Maggie Smith as the 'Mother Superior', who both reprised their roles two years later in the sequel, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.

Sister Act in London previews from 7 May 2009, opened on 2 June 2009 and closed on 30 October 2010.