Sister Act – Musical – Review – Taproot Theatre – Shows I've Seen

@showsiveseen "Sister Act" #musical at @TaprootTheatre might be "THE" theatre show of the season. Great casting & costumes. Plus, Alan Menken music is always a crowd-pleaser. Wah wah pedal FTW! Starring Alexandria Henderson. Extended till 8/17. #catholic #nun #nuns #theatre #showiveseen #disco #sisterAct Review: showsiveseen.com/9150 Photos: Robert Wade Lyrics: Glenn Slater Book: Bill and Cheri Steinkellner Director: @Bretteney Beverly ♬ Take Me to Heaven – Sister Rosalie Taller

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Sister Act musical at Taproot Theatre might be “THE” theatre show of the season. Great casting and costumes. Plus, Alan Menken music is always a crowd-pleaser. Wah wah pedal FTW! Starring Alexandria Henderson. #disco

Recommendation
See it, especially if you saw the movie or if you grew up Catholic.

My Synopsis (No Spoilers): A disco lounge singer witnesses a crime and must hide in a convent disguised as a nun. She ends up leading the choir.

Synopsis from the Licensor or Theatre Company: A feel-good musical comedy like “nun” other! Deloris dreams of fame and fortune, but after witnessing a murder she lands in protective custody. Being disguised as a nun can’t cramp her style, and soon she’s inspired the whole choir.

Attended Performance Date: Opening Weekend 7/13/24 – I couldn’t attend the actual opening night since the show was so popular! Keep your eyes peeled for preview posts on my website and social media if you want earlier notification of shows I’ve seen.

Type: Musical

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: Several

Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several

Static (Stationary) Set? Mostly yes, since it’s such a small theatre. However, this production reused the rotating door from Taproot Theatre’s previous show Sherlock Holmes & the Precarious Position to facilitate scene changes.

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No, but you’d probably enjoy this show more if you saw the original film or if you grew up Catholic.

Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes

Live Band/Orchestra: Yes

Equity Actors: 3

Total Number of Actors: 12

Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium to fast speed

Was there an intermission? Yes

Length (Including Any Intermission): 2.5 hours

Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show? No, I previously attended Sister Act at Cornish College of the Arts.

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now? Absolutely, but only professional productions like this one.

Mainstream Appeal: Medium to high

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned Above

Casting: Bretteney Beverly (the director and casting director) did a great job picking actors that matched the energy of the original movie characters especially the refined/uptight Mother Superior (played by Anne Allgood), the contrasting casual down-to-earth Deloris Van Cartier (played by Alexandria J. Henderson), the timid petite vocal bombshell Sister Mary Roberts (played by Rebecca Cort), and the jolly Sister Mary Patrick (played by Hannah Schuerman).
Costumes: Kudos to Esther Garcia for her fantastic costume design. She took me back to the funky 1970s with the sparkly disco sequins, tacky wide collars, plaid bottoms, earthy leather coats, gold bling, groovy bell-bottoms, and leopard print. In particular, I loved Deloris’ white suit at the end of the show. She finally lived her Donna Summer dream. “She showed up simple, all in white. Yeah, she looked so classy… and she sang so nasty!” Also, Eddie Souther’s (played by Charles Simmons) double costume transformation was impressive. For a professional theatre with a lower budget than many other Puget Sound professional theatres, I was surprised that they pulled off this stage magic!
Sweaty Eddie: Speaking of Charles Simmons, I was impressed by his smooth 1970s voice in “I Could Be That Guy” reminiscent of Brian McKnight. The audience was surprised when he sang his first line and they ate up his performance.
Choreography: Surprisingly for a small stage, Jimmy Shields was able to devise entertaining fun choreography. Obviously, it would have looked better in a bigger space though.
Positive Energy and Joy: As someone with RBF, I love musicals where I catch myself smiling during songs like “Lady in the Long Black Dress” (with Bee Gee’s falsetto), “Raise Your Voice,” and “Sunday Morning Fever.”

Rant(s)

Original Songs: It will certainly disappoint viewers of the original film that this musical didn’t contain any original movie songs. I suspect it was due to licensing fees or licensing disagreements. That being said, Alan Menken always writes wonderful masterpiece suites.
Microphones: The wireless wearable microphones occasionally distractingly crackled like there was loose wire/connector. Also, the handheld microphone often overpowered the speakers.
Thrust Stage: Taproot Theatre’s Jewell Mainstage is a thrust stage where the audience sits in a U-shape surrounding three of the four sides. Every time I sit on the sides, I experience major FOMO. The actors (understandably) prioritize blocking towards the back of the theatre space, not the sides.

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

Christian Songs vs Love Songs: It’s amusing how both the movie and the musical poked fun at how love songs and Christian songs have interchangeable lyrics. In “Take Me to Heaven,” Deloris and the nuns separately sang “Don’t know how you do what you do. It’s like you’re almost too good to be true. You’re my hope. You’re my dream. You rock my world. You reign supreme.” Deloris first sang it to her beau, but later the nuns sang it to God. Turn on Christian contemporary radio and you’ll hear the same similarities.

Theatre Company: Taproot Theatre

Venue: Jewell Mainstage at Taroot Theatre

Venue Physical Address: 204 N 85th St, Seattle, WA 98103

Price Range: $25-62

Dates: July 10 to August 17, 2024

Seating: Assigned Seating

Parking: Paid lot or usually-free street parking. I always find free street parking on Greenwood Ave just South of the theatre.

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