Yvonne Siddique and Harmoni Eiland in Sister Act

It’s divine intervention set to a disco beat. Sister Act, a faith-filled musical comedy inspired by the hit 1992 film, blends heart and humor in Countryside Community Theatre’s production, directed by Courtney Cooper. When nightclub singer Deloris Van Cartier (Harmoni Eiland) finds herself on the run from her mobster boyfriend Curtis (Jerod Samuelson), she's forced to enter witness protection in a convent, where her larger-than-life personality shakes up the quiet routine of the religious sisters and brings her into conflict with the traditional-minded Mother Superior (Yvonne Siddique). With soulful numbers and a story of unlikely sisterhood, Sister Act offers a spirited evening of entertainment. We attended opening night on Saturday, July 5.

 

Kitty: I just want to start by saying that Eiland is such a strong lead.

Mischa: Absolutely! She was very good.

K: She has a fantastic singing voice, and was definitely convincing as a glamorous headliner.

M: Yes – from the early numbers showing Deloris' nightclub persona to her taking over leadership to inspire the nuns’ choir (“Raise Your Voice”), to quieter moments as the story unfolded (“Bless Our Show”), she pulls it all together very well.

K: Haley Tromblee, as the timid postulant Sister Mary Robert, also had a wonderful voice. She got her chance to shine during “The Life I Never Led.”

M: That was one of my favorite numbers. The way she steps out of her comfort zone parallels, in microcosm, the musical transformation of the other nuns, and I thought that was another aspect of the show that was well represented: They go from terrible, uncoordinated singing … .

K: The nuns, not the actors. The actors are singing poorly in character. Which they did to great comic effect.

M: Right! But they become confident and enthusiastic under Deloris’ direction. It’s the core of the story, and it works.

Harmoni Eiland and ensemble members in Sister Act

K: And I agree on that point: The cast, and particularly the women, did a nice job fulfilling that story arc. But I also have a critique for the collective cast: There seemed to be a fair bit of hesitancy across the board in regard to both lines and blocking. When someone seemed unsure about a line, they delivered it very quietly. When they appeared to be unsure about blocking, there would be a noticeable pause, and then people would sort of shuffle into position. It happened several times on Saturday with several different people.

M: Yeah, it seemed like there was a lot that was very tentative – and some things seemed like they needed a week or two more rehearsal to lock them in better. Pacing was kind of a problem throughout.

K: Yeah, that’s unfortunately true. The slow pace sapped a lot of the plot's tension. Even though Deloris was on the run from a ruthless gangster, the pace was downright sluggish at times. The stakes should’ve been sky-high, but somehow, even at the most crucial moments, it never felt like Deloris was ever in any real danger.

M: Weirdly, the telephone and doorbell sounds used in the show were louder than the two gunshot sounds – and the gun was supposedly being fired on stage! There were some sound-balance issues between instrumentalists and singers early on. But I should state for the record, too, that the medium-sized pit orchestra led by George Behnke was truly topnotch; they were precise, in sync, and sounded wonderful throughout.

K: Totally agree. The orchestra stood out as one of the production’s strongest elements. I also wanted to mention the set. Did you notice that no one in the program was credited as set designer?

M: Yes, that’s odd! And the set was certainly colorful and evoked the story's time period … .

K: But … it did have a lot of moving parts and needed to be adjusted for nearly every scene, and some of those transitions took far too long. I think those transitions would've also benefited from a little more rehearsal time.

M: Of course, there was music that somewhat covered those transitions, and the big rotating set pieces allowed for some quicker changes. But extra furniture and props definitely sucked up significant time.

Tyler Giglio, Anthony B. Dexter, Jerod Samuelson, Mark Meyer, and Hunter Haller in Sister Act

K: Yet even though those set changes sometimes dragged, one scene that picked the energy back up was a pretty hilarious number featuring Curtis’s trio of henchmen: Joey (Anthony B. Dexter), Pablo (Hunter Haller), and TJ (Tyler Giglio). “Lady in the Long Black Dress” had me chuckling as the three wannabe charmers plotted to woo the nuns into giving up Deloris. These guys were at their best here as they tried to one-up each other for cringiest Casanova.

M: I enjoyed the opposite effect produced by Antonio Martinez’s earnest but hapless Eddie breaking into song in “I Could Be That Guy” – tentatively and shyly, that is. Completely in character.

K: There was also a funny costume change during that number. Hats off to costume designers Sue Boedeker and Becky Esbaum for pulling it off with flair.

M: Meanwhile, Siddique’s severe Mother Superior was nicely relieved by the contemplativeness, then humor, of her big number “I Haven’t Got a Prayer.”

K: Despite some rocky moments, this show did have a strong and glitzy finish that would make any disco diva shout “Hallelujah!” There were sequins, feathers, glitter, and power solos that were downright heavenly.

M: Amen!

 

Countryside Community Theatre's Sister Act runs at the North Scott High School Fine Arts Auditorium (200 South First Street, Eldridge IA) through July 13, and more information and tickets are available by visiting CountrysideQC.org.

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