Sister Act The Musical at Birmingham Hippodrome - Review

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Mon 13 May 2024 - Sat 18 May 2024

There's something about nuns in a musical that strikes pure gold. So, move over The Sound of Music as I think I've just found my new favourite convent based show.

Sister Act The Musical follows the storyline of the famous film but with top-notch original songs too. I caught it at Birmingham Hippodrome where the UK tour stays until Saturday May 18

Landi Oshinowo, pictured below, has big shoes to fill following on from Whoopi Goldberg in the Sister Act films and Beverly Knight in the West End version of this show. But she doesn't waste any time winning over the audience with her powerful vocals opening with the feel-good anthems Take Me To Heaven and the immensely catchy, Fabulous, Baby!



She's perfectly cast as 1970s nightclub singer Deloris with both a sensational voice and astute comic timing. Landi makes the comedy shine and is reminiscent of Goldberg in many ways.

Sister Act is on in London's West End and although this is a tour version, it's got those glossy big sets, costumes and song and dance routines. It seamlessly moves from the nightclub where Deloris sings and witnesses a gangster murder to a police station and convent, where the singer finds a haven among the nuns while on the run.

Added to this musical, in a change from the film, is the welcome addition of a love interest for Delores in the shape of lovable, tubby cop Eddie Souther. Eddie is played with wonderful exuberance by Alfie Parker, who has the funniest routine in the show, shown below, during a romantic dream sequence. I don't want to spoil it but it's a dazzling number with a few comic surprises.



That's true of the whole show as there is joke after joke and I found myself laughing from start to finish. Sister Act felt like a welcome relief, an escape of complete joy, it was divine.

The fraught relationship between Deloris and Mother Superior is a delight. An odd couple who find they have more in common than they realise.

There's sentiment here too and not just comedy as friendships are formed. The song Sister Act is as schmaltzy as you can get, but beautiful and heartfelt leaving a lump in the throat as Deloris sings how she's got sisters who believe in her.

Along the way, you get to know all the nuns in-depth. Among them is young, shy Sister Mary Robert(Eloise Runnette) and gravelly-voiced Sister Mary Lazarus(Julie Stark), who has hidden depths. They come a long way from an out-of-tune choir in the opening scenes to funky soul singers in a vibrant, colourful and feel-good finale.



The acting is first class and Coronation Street fans may recognise Mother Superior as she's played by Sue Cleaver, who was Eileen Grimshaw in the soap opera. The gangster crew is more comical than scary too, adding their own soulful mix of songs to the soundtrack.

Sister Act The Musical is a hilarious, heavenly treat guaranteed to put a smile on your face. In the words of Delores, it's simply 'fabulous baby'.

RATING: 5 out of 5 stars


Catch Sister Act The Musical at Birmingham Hippodrome until Saturday May 18. Tickets from the Birmingham Hippodrome website here start from £28.

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