Review - Sister Act at Milton Keynes Theatre

For a show directed by Craig Revel Horwood, I'll avoid any puns during this review of Sister Act.
Sister Act - The MusicalSister Act - The Musical
Sister Act - The Musical

Based on the film of the same name, it sees wannabe disco diva Deloris Van Cartier witness a murder committed by her boyfriend and she has to go incognito at an unlikely place. A convent.

It gets off to a slightly slow start but the show is on surer footing for the second half. You can feel the performers growing on the stage throughout the night.

Alexandra Burke could also, at the start, have toned it down ever so slightly. Maybe 10 per cent. The most impressive thing about a diva is that they want to be looked at and don’t need to flail around to get the attention they wish for.

However these are the only things you could criticise for the show. Burke, in only her second stage role, is particularly stunning in the second half, portraying all of the emotion and power needed to carry off those scenes but still been fun.

And the relationship she has with both Karen Mann as the Mother Superior and Jon Robyns as Eddie is perfectly judged. She’s spiky with the former and caring and jovial with the latter.

I personally liked that the nuns carried instruments onto the stage and were out of tune, even if it was a little painful (deliberately) on the ears. It made them a much more happy camp and established an easy cammaraderie among the nun,

It is a feel good show, but even that makes it sound like it is a light hearted romp, it’s a difficult balancing act which may musicals have got wrong in the past.

But with tight and impressive choreography, tunes which you’ll hum as you leave the theatre and a fantastic cast, do you know what, I’m done not using a pun. There’s only two words to sum up this show. Strictly Fab-u-lous.

Sister Act can be seen until Saturday October 1. For tickets call the box office on 0844 871 7652 or visit www.atgtickets.co.uk/miltonkeynes.

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