On Tuesday 10th August, I was privileged enough to see Whoopi Goldberg in her opening night as Mother Superior in Sister Act at the London Palladium. I had been thinking about a London theatre trip for a while (I try to do one once a year) but hearing the news that Whoopi would be doing a limited run in this wonderful production was all the motivation I needed to book tickets right then and there. My second time seeing the show, it was just as much fun as I remembered, and I left the theatre with feeling of joyous exuberance not matched since I last saw the show and a renewed sense of despair over the fact that I have no musical talent to speak of (I want to be a singing nun dammit!!).
First of all, the whole evening was a great experience with many highlights outside of the actual show: passing Simon Webbe (complete with afro) at the box office; spotting Mika and Ben Kingsley in the audience; a fantastic view from our seats in the Stalls (which mercifully were located right under the air conditioners); the magnificence of the Palladium itself complete with its red tailcoat wearing ushers. Everything was in place for an enjoyable evening - and to say we enjoyed our evening would be an understatement.
So what of the lady of the hour, Whoopi? Well she was terrific. Yes, she is very obviously miscast in this role, and certainly underused, forced to keep her comic abilities in check for the most part. But the fact that its Whoopi Goldberg means that its simply impossible not to fall in love with her Mother Superior. From the opening scene, stepping out on stage to a thunderous applause (which very likely would have quickly erupted into a standing ovation had she not wisely halted it with a knowing finger to a pursed lip) she exuded an undeniable stage presence. Unfortunately the nature of the role meant that in the majority of her scenes she was required to take a back seat which was a true shame (and something which highlighted just how miscast she was in this role). However Whoopi seemed quite happy to step back and leave the limelight to Patina Miller as Deloris, the role which Whoopi originally made famous. Vocally, she was impressive. Not one to be blessed with a Miller like voice, she nonetheless displayed great control over her voice throughout, delivering each of her numbers with what seemed like effortless control, the result of some very clever choices with her range (although it was clear to anyone with an experienced ear that they wouldn’t fall within her natural comfort zone).
Her Mother Superior was one with a bit of attitude (and very different from the portrayal I saw from Sheila Hancock last year, including changes to dialogue and backstory), but she did also manage to bring the pious as well. Her big number, ‘Here Within These Walls’, was a joy from start to finish, she completely captured the essence of the character here, perfectly establishing the tone of serene humility of the convent. I don’t know if its her natural presence or whether she was improvising at times, but her delivery was just so, well, natural. Somehow she made us believe that ‘Whoopi Goldberg’ with all her sass and attitude, would gladly sacrifice all of that for a life of servitude. For those 2 hours, she was the Mother Superior, despite how ludicrous it may have seemed. Her performance was not however without its hiccups, flubbing one of her lines in her big number and loosing her habit during her fight scene (yes she had a fight scene!) the final staging of which came across as slightly messy. But that was easily forgivable. Whoopi has always struck me as a very humble performer and this was nowhere more evident than in her bow at the end. Completely reluctant to share the final bow with Patina Miller she had to be practically dragged back on stage and even then deferred the attention to the ‘star’ of the show. Overall, a masterful and extremely controlled performance from a truly great actress. Plus seeing her let loose and shake her ass on stage in the final number was an experience I will never forget!
Mention has to be given to the spectacular cast. Patina Miller is a star of the future and is guaranteed a Tony nomination for this role when it transfers to Broadway. I remember being blown away, on first viewing just how close to Whoopi’s Deloris she was. She seemed to have captured the very heart of the character. Her voice is quite simply, flawless and didn’t falter once throughout the evening. Watching her conduct the choir for the first time with her back to the audience, complete with Whoopi ass-shake, was like watching the same scene straight out of the movie. She has made some very clever choices with her portrayal of Deloris, channeling Whoopi in many ways, but never cheaply, always finding a way to make it her own.
The rest of the cast are all very strong in their respective roles especially Ako Mitchell as put upon cop and Deloris lover wannabe Eddie and Katie Rowley Jones as the shy Sr Mary Robert (a West End star of the future, mark my words!). Ex Blue member Simon Webbe was a big disappointment as baddie Shank however, never managing to be menacing or present a true threat and so denying the show a serious adversary. Similarly his scenes with his trio of goons seemed less polished than the last time I saw the show and drew few genuine laughs. I would attribute that to a lack of natural chemistry between Webbe and the trio (and possibly due to the fact that the actor playing Bones was the understudy and probably less familiar with the role). They came alive however during their performance of ‘Lady in the Long Black Dress’, a fantastic little song (one which notably didn’t include Webbe) that frankly would be hard to mess up.
And the show itself? Well needless to say, given it was my second viewing, I loved it. Truly one of the most feel good shows of recent years, and one which isn’t completely devoid of intellect à la Mamma Mia. The completely original disco inspired score is by ‘Mr Disney’ Alan Menken, and his style fits the show perfectly. Upbeat, hummable and plain fun (its no surprise that patrons were dancing in the aisles) but equally humble and touching when it needs to be, it’s classic Menken (and that’s either good or bad depending on your personal taste).
The production design of this show is second to none. I’ve seen big shows on Broadway and the West End, but never have I seen staging like this before. The set design is remarkable and on a scale that would be deemed far too ambitious in most venues but which seems effortless in the Palladium. Even in the smaller scenes the design is very clever, utilising space extremely well, and at no point does the mammoth Palladium stage feel empty. The chase and action scenes, which are always difficult on stage, are a joy to watch and the scene transitions are seamless. Its hard to do this design justice with words. Think Les Mis, with it’s central moving circular stage, on a much grander scale and you’re halfway there. Part of the joy of watching this show on stage is simply watching the set construct itself and slot into place before your eyes. Just as impressive on the second viewing.
Of course if I wished to find fault with something, I don’t have to look far. Above is the poster they chose to market this multi-million dollar production. This is the face of this show! Everything else about this production is first rate, from the sets, the music, the cast, the costumes, everything. And they chose to pin all that on this poster design. When I first saw the show, it was simply because we couldn’t get cheap tickets to The Lion King. I went under protest. Why? Because the poster looked cheap. And a cheap poster generally means a cheap production. Couple that with completely new songs and not the originals classics, and an 18 year old story to begin with, it becomes a bit of a hard sell. I’m very glad I went to see the show, but frankly, I still can’t get over how such a poor design was chosen. I’d be extremely surprised if this design is carried over to Broadway, as I can’t see it working in such an image conscious country at the States.
The show is due to open on Broadway next year, and there is no doubt that it will be a huge success over there. Should Whoopi choose to reprise her role on Broadway (how could she not, either in a limited run or for longer) this could be one of the most successful shows on the Great White Way for years. Either way, it’s ‘Fabulous Baby’ and fans of musical theatre everywhere should sell their old VHS copy of Sister Act for a ticket!
Sister Act runs at the London Palladium until 30th October 2010. Whoopi Goldberg is playing a limited run with her last performance on Tuesday 31st August.
Update: Unfortunately, due to a family emergency, Whoopi has had to cancel her final week in the Palladium.
