Sister Act Review

Alexandra Burke and the ensemble of Sister Act

Ready to raise the roof, Sister Act will give you that Sunday Morning Fever.

Nightclub singer Deloris Van Cartier (played by Alexandra Burke) is ready to hit it big when she witnesses her “married boyfriend” Curtis (Lemar) murder a police informant. When she accepts witness protection from police officer Eddie Souther (Lee Mead), what follows is a hilarious story of love, determination and community.

This production of Sister Act, directed by Bill Buckhurst (The Time Traveler’s Wife, Sweeney Todd), has been performing around the country since 2022 - including a stint at London’s Hammersmith Apollo. Whilst clearly built to travel with limited set designed by Morgan Large (Newsies, Joseph), Buckhurst’s direction is often innovative and funny, and the energy from all cast including Burke fills every inch of what is a notoriously large stage at London’s Dominion Theatre.

In fact, it’s Alexandra Burke whose transformation into Deloris really sings in this production. And man can she sing. Her character is bold, brash and totally believable, although I did just wish for her to slow down her speech to give each comedy beat a moment to land. Her vocals, of course, power through the 2,000 seater as she really raises her voice. Burke is joined onstage by a whole host of other stars too, including Lee Mead and Lemar who both perform Deloris’ love interest with equal verve and exceptional vocal stylings. Lizzie Bea (Hairspray) also stars as Sister Mary Robert with a voice that will take you to heaven, although I did find her portrayal to be slightly more petulant than timid, a choice that may have come from Buckhurst but either way I found didn’t pay off as much.

However, the true star of the performance, at least in my eyes, was Leslie Joseph who has recently resumed the role of Mother Superior, “as in Superior”, in light of Ruth Jones’s leaving. She takes on the role with honesty, humility, and hilarity, making every joke land as if it’s the first time she’s ever delivered it. She can send a ripple of laughter across the auditorium with a simple raised eyebrow and walks the line of just the right amount of improvisation. With energy, she belts out both solo songs (that I believe have been lowered) and also joins in with choreography never missing a beat.

Alistair David’s (The Addams Family) choreography is slightly limited, which may be due to having a cast of such varying ages and ability, but I did find myself pining for more narrative through the movement. Nonetheless songs such as Sunday Morning Fever and Spread The Love Around were such fun, with the cast exploding with energy across the stage. Paired with Neil Macdonald’s (Grease, Guys and Dolls) musical direction, the songs highlight an already punchy script leaving every minute of dialogue, music, and movement an energised treat.

The show itself, written by Cheri and Bill Steinkellner, with music by Alan Menkin (Newsies, Hercules) and words by Glenn Slater (Love Never Dies) is fun, modern, and remains true to the original movie. Buckhurst does his best to keep up with the writing team’s wit which results in a thorough production of glitter, glamour, and “FM-boots” full of fun.

Sister Act is playing until 31st August at London’s Dominion Theatre. Tickets available here.