Sister Act a sequined success
Sparkle. Dazzle. Disco. Soul. Saint Paul Catholic High School has danced and sung its way into the audience’s affections with their marvelous production of Sister Act.
Sister Act is the comedic and musical journey of fame hungry Deloris Van Cartier. When she witnesses a crime and her life is put in danger, she must go into hiding in a convent at the Queen of Angels Church. The strict Mother Superior butts heads repeatedly with the very liberal Deloris over many issues, particularly the church’s choir. Nevertheless, Deloris is determined to bring dazzle into the lives of the nuns who call Queen of Angels home.
Saint Paul skilfully sparkled its way through Sister Act.
The energy of the cast was palpable and rubbed off on the audience who became involved, clapping along to songs and laughing at Mother Superior’s deadpan humour.
Beyond the fun of the production, Saint Paul conveyed the very important message of Sister Act clearly and beautifully: your sisters have always got your back.
A star in every way, Deloris Van Cartier is a big role to fill, but Taya Caesar took on the challenge and not only succeeded, but blew everyone away with her soulful vocals.
Another noteworthy performance was from the dynamic duo of Madison Marino as Sister Mary Roberts and Stephanya Zimakas as Sister Mary Patrick, who brought the comedic potential of the musical to fruition. Between Marino’s awkward dancing and Zimakas’ overtly perky attitude, the audience could not catch their breath. Marino doubled as a powerful singer, moving the audience to hollers and applause after her solo performance of The Life I Never Led.
Although Caesar was the star of the show, she was supported expertly by the nuns, her sisters, backing her up. They sang beautiful harmonies, danced through the dazzling choreography, and made the audience laugh again and again.
Another notably hilarious group was the thugs who were searching for Deloris, intending to kill her. Bryan Serra as T.J. made a particularly impacting performance in all of his awkward glory.
A musical set in the 1970s would not be complete without disco balls, and Saint Paul did not disappoint, going all out and including vibrant, colourful dancing lights, bright white spotlights, sequined dresses and even feather boas. The set, designed
by Jacob Pandereira and built by Mr. Ammendolia’s construction class was simple, yet powerful, adding much-needed context, but not getting in the way of the intricate choreography.
In a perfect combination of disco
music, sequins, and heartfelt connections, Saint Paul’s lively performance of Sister Act was a mellifluous adventure from the opening verses to the curtain call and left the audience shouting praises from the rooftops.