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| The 1992 film starred Whoopi Goldberg |
Sister Act Musical Premieres at Palladium in JuneDate: 7 November 2008
As previously tipped (See The Goss, 5 Sep 2008), Sister Act: The Musical will receive its European premiere in the West End next year, opening on 2 June 2009 (previews from 7 May) at the London Palladium, current home of The Sound of Music.
The screen-to-stage musical, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater and book by Cheri and Bill Steinkellner, premiered in the US in 2006, opening in Pasadena, California before transferring to Atlanta for a five-week run in early 2007. Despite early expectations of a Broadway transfer, this is yet to materialise.
Sister Act tells the story of Deloris, a Reno lounge singer who, after being put in protective police custody in a convent, brings some soul to the church choir. The 1992 Hollywood film version starring Whoopi Goldberg (pictured) grossed over $200million worldwide and spawned a sequel, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.
The stage version transplants the action to 1970s Philadelphia. The original US production starred Dawnn Lewis as Deloris, Elizabeth Ward Land as the Mother Superior and Harrison White as Deloris' gangster boyfriend Curtis. West End casting is yet to be confirmed, but is expected to be announced shortly.
Sister Act will replace Andrew Lloyd Webber's revival of The Sound of Music, which is currently booking at the Palladium to 28 February 2009 (See News, 6 Jun 2008) and has been running since 15 November 2006 (previews from 3 November).
Sister Act is initially booking through to February 2010.
- by Theo Bosanquet
