***** Highly Recommended ***** Sister Act is one of my favorite musicals so I had very high expectations when I went to see Mercury Theater’ new production. I’m happy to say this production not only met my expectations, it exceeded them. This show is absolutely fabulous. An outstanding cast with amazing voices, dance-in-your-seat music with choreography to match, gorgeous costumes – what more could you ask for? Kudos to Director Reneisha Jenkins, Sister Act is just about perfect. 4 BIG Spotlights
I should mention that the musical version of “Sister Act” is slightly different from the movie. Instead of Reno and San Francisco, these sisters live in Philadelphia. Instead of a soundtrack heavily influenced by Motown, Alan Menken’s score pays tribute to 70’s pop and disco.
When Delores Van Cartier (Alexis J. Roston) auditioned for her married boyfriend/nightclub owner, Curtis Jackson (Denzel Tsopnang), he refused to let her sing in his club. Then he told her he wouldn’t be seeing her the next day, which happened to be Christmas. Before he left, he gave her a Christmas present, which 
turned out to be an ugly blue fur jacket which he ‘liberated’ from his wife’s closet. Delores was crushed, it had his wife’s initials on the label.
Curtis dealt with a traitor in his organization by shooting him. When Delores happened to see it, she tried to reassure Curtis that she hadn’t seen a thing, then got out of there quickly. Terrified, she ran away from Curtis’s men, ending up at the police station.
Officer Eddie Souther (Gilbert Domally), whom Delores knew as Sweaty Eddie in high school, decided to hide her in a convent until she can testify. The Mother Superior (Jane Grebeck Brewer) was not happy to 
have a lounge singer in her convent, but her objections were overruled by Monsignor O’Hara (Ed Kross) who was trying to raise enough money to stop the sale of the church to a couple of guys who sell antiques. Watching these two strong women clash – and drop one-liners – was a treat!
Delores wasn’t too thrilled about staying in a convent with the ugly black dress and veil. When she was deprived of dinner, she decided an excursion to the neighborhood watering hole – accompanied by the eagerly adventurous Sister Mary Patrick (Leah Morrow) and the novice who isn’t sure about her vocation, Sister Mary Robert 
(Isabella Andrews) – almost landed her in deep trouble. By the way, I doubt if there was a dry eye in the room after Andrews sang The Life I Never Led.
When Mother Superior assigned Delores to the tone-deaf choir (and I’m not sure how people with such gorgeous voices could sing totally off-key but they managed), the magic began. Joining Sister Mary Robert and Sister Mary Patrick in the choir are Sister Mary Lazarus (Jenny Rudnick), Sister Mary Theresa (Nicole Cready) and Sister Mary Martin of Tours (Nancy Wagner). Once Delores, now Sister Mary Clarence, got 
them singing on key, she started teaching them how to move. Forget about choral-ography on the risers, these sisters got out there and danced!
By the way, the men in Sister Act were pretty cool, too. Curtis (Tsopnang), prowling around the stage sang When I Find My Baby while his henchmen, Joey (Marcus Jackson), Pablo (Ruben Castro) and TJ (Austin Nelson, Jr.) followed his smooth, sexy dance moves. Eddy (Domally) has another fabulous song and dance number, I Could Be That Guy. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but he has moves that made 
the ladies cheer. Kudos to Choreographer Christopher Chase Carter for the groovin’ numbers.
Kudos to Costume Designer Marquecia Jordan created everything from nun’s habits to leisure suits to glitzy stage gowns to the aforementioned blue fur jacket. She also found enough sequins to light up the Mercury!
Although the Mercury’s stage is really small, Angela Weber Miller’s vaguely religious set made the stage look larger and even added passageways behind the backdrop.
Note: Guests must show proof of vaccination with photo ID before entering the theater. Guests are required to wear masks while inside the building.
“Sister Act” runs through January 2nd at the Mercury Theater, 3745 N. Southport, Chicago. Parking is a challenge in this neighborhood, so arrive early if you’re driving. Running time is 1 hour, 40 minutes with an intermission. Performances are Wednesday through Friday at 7:30 pm, Saturday at 2:00 & 7:30 pm, Sunday at 2:00 pm. Tickets range from $35-80. FYI www.mercurytheaterchicago.com.
