The Bushnell, Hartford, CT
through April 21, 2013
by Walter A. Haggerty
Take one eager, would-be night club singer who can really
belt, give her the opportunity to be in the right spot at the wrong time to
witness a gangland style murder, hide her in a convent for protection, then add
a dozen singing-swinging nuns, and you have the perfect recipe for a riotous,
jubilant musical that restores the key ingredient of “comedy” to the world of
musical comedy, and that’s “Sister Act.”
A visit to Hartford’s Bushnell this week offers an audience
a thoroughly enjoyable evening. The authors have found all they needed for
focus in the framework of a highly successful Whoopi Goldberg movie. By adding
an original score by multi-Academy, Grammy, and Golden Globe composer Alan
Menken, with lyrics by Glen Slater, a ton of sequins and glitter, and a cast
that knows how to deliver show-stoppers, “Sister Act” is ready for the big
time.
Heading the large and exuberant cast is Ta’Rea Campbell as
Deloris Van Cartier, in an audience-pleasing rock ‘em, sock ‘em performance
that is terrific. Hollis Resnik’s Mother Superior manages to bring some warmth
and subtlety to a characterization that relies more on her delivery than to the
material provided.
Kingsley Leggs, as Curtis Jackson, contributes a healthy
measure of laughter aided by Todd Horman, Ernie Pruneda and Charles Barksdale,
as a trio of inept hoods. As Eddie Souther, E. Clayton Cornelius turns a
bumbling, stumbling police officer into an instant hero.
Lael Van Keuren, as postulant Mary Robert, has an endearing
opportunity to shine in "The
Life I Never Lived.” Each member of the chorus of nuns brings distinctive nuances to, what are
intentionally, very broad and amusing character studies.
A suggestion to the “Sister Act” sound technicians or the
Bushnell’s own sound personnel – reduce the volume. Every number does not need
to be transmitted at the highest level to the point that all singers sound like
overpowering stereos instead of real people.
Back to “Sister Act.” It’s strictly for laughs at a time in
our lives when sharing a good laugh is something everyone can use.
