The nun on the run is back in London! This is a show full of silliness and outrageous fun. A mobster's moll who's seen a murder hides out in a convent, and during her sojourn in witness protection, she transforms the nunnery while also gaining some new perspective on her own life. However, despite its spiritual setting, this isn't a show that leaves the audience asking existential questions. It's just a good old-fashioned, razzle-dazzle-em musical. The plot is thin, the characters familiar and the outcomes predictable, but that's all just fine if you get into the spirit of things. Beverley Knight is a delight as Deloris van Cartier the soul sister who brings the boogie to the cloister's choristers, and Ruth Jones is hilarious as the skeptical Mother Superior who finally catches the rhythm. We loved Knight's "Sister Act" and Jones' "I Haven't Got A Prayer" was a definite highlight. Lizzie Bea, as the postulant Sister Mary Robert, thrilled with her rendition of "The Life I Never Led," and Clive Rowe's Steady Eddie stopped the show with his "I Could Be That Guy." Alan Menken and Glenn Slater have produced a memorably tuneful score, and director Bill Buckhurst has pulled out all the stops for the big production numbers. After this dazzling night of hand-clapping and toe-tapping in the convent, don't be surprised if you're a convert.
Rated: ★★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Johan Persson
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