Convents are often seen as places that offer sanctuary to the persecuted and those in despair: from Nonnberg Abbey that shielded the Von Trapp family to the convent that sheltered Jean Valjean and Cosette when they escape Inspector Javert, the convent of San Sisto where Lucrezia Borgia is said to have stayed in while awaiting the annulment of her first marriage and the French convent where Mary Seton, lady-in-waiting to the unfortunate Mary Queen of Scots retired to a few years before the execution of her queen.
So when wannabe diva Deloris Van Cartier, mistress of a gangster, sees her boyfriend and his henchmen shoot someone they believe betrayed them, where else does she go to but to a convent?
If you’ve watched the 1992 Whoopi Goldberg hit film, on which Sister Act-A Divine Musical Comedy is based, you probably already know the plot. Deloris (Amrita Frederick), on witnessing the murder, flees to the local police station where policeman Lieutenant Eddie Souther (Denver Anthony Nicholas), convinces her to testify and suggests she go into witness protection until she can appear in court.
Deloris complies, but is horrified when she discovers where Eddie plans to hide her: a convent. Her horror is mirrored by the Mother Superior (Prateeksha Chandrasekaran); the brassy, mouthy singer in her admittedly outrageous clothes is certain to disrupt the tranquillity of her convent. But she has no choice; the church is doing very badly, so she agrees to take in Deloris.
Despite donning a habit and adopting a new name, Sister Mary Clarence, Deloris’ predilections for the fast life continue. She is caught sneaking out of the convent, accompanied by three other nuns, by Mother Superior and is put into the choir. The choir is, to put it mildly, far from musical, and Deloris offers to take charge of it and goes on to give it a makeover which is appreciated by almost all its listeners, except Mother Superior.
The success of the choir sees money and fame rolling in and they are asked to perform for the Pope. Before the performance, however, news comes to the convent that her boyfriend Vince (Prashanth Oliver) has figured out where she is and is coming to get her.
The play goes on to chronicle how she leaves the convent before returning and then battling with Vince and his boys with the help of her nun friends.
Amrita’s Deloris is convincing enough — a hint of Whoopi lingers in her body language (the wriggling of the butt as she conducts the choir, especially) — but she doesn't manage to capture the vulnerability beneath the brashness that Whoopi did. However, the energy and joie de vivre she brings to the role is admirable, as is the spunk with which she continued to sing, despite the microphone failing noticeably a couple of times. Sangita Santosham as the shy novice Mary Robert is especially good; she sings like a dream, and that, coupled with an absolute lack of pretentiousness, makes her very convincing. Yohan Chacko, a normally compelling actor, is a trifle underutilised, but then again, a convent is scarcely a place where men have a pivotal role, so I suppose it can be forgiven.
The dance sequences were energetic and the music was lovely, but the pseudo-American accents slipped from time to time and the lighting was not quite there. Disco lights in an ecclesiastic setting? Maybe not. The space could have been used better; a few scenes like the one set in the police station were completely ineffective on the huge stage. Also, call me churlish, but nuns in pyjamas wearing wimples seemed a bit too much — I would think that bride of Christ or not, you wouldn’t want to sleep in something so constricting.
But you didn’t really have to try very hard to have a good time at the show. The script is effortlessly funny, the music is great and the ending is a fairy tale one: bad guys go to jail, the heroine finds love and the nuns give the pope a fantastic show, although I did miss th e 'I will followhim' number from the movie.
