Kris Lyons, Colette Élan Caspari, Nancy Teerlinck, and Denise Ewers in "Sister Act" at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre -- June 2 through 12.

Thursday, June 2, through Sunday, June 12

Clinton Area Showboat Theatre, 311 Riverview Drive, Clinton IA

Nominated for five 2011 Tony Awards including Best Musical, and based on the beloved film comedy starring Whoopi Goldberg, the tuneful and riotous Sister Act opens the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre's summer season, the show's June 2 through 12 run demonstrating why the Associated Press deemed it “frothy, giggly, and yet often poignant,” as well as “a musical that hits all the right spots, achieving something close to Broadway grace.”

With its music by multiple Oscar and Tony winner Alan Menken, Sister Act finds Deloris Van Cartier an aspiring disco diva in Philadelphia, where she is auditioning to perform at the nightclub of her gangster boyfriend Curtis. After Curtis tells her that she's not ready for “the big time,” Deloris decides to break up with him – but when she goes to find him, she accidentally witnesses the man killing one of his cronies. Deloris consequently runs to the police, who place her in hiding at a convent until Curtis is brought to trial. At first, Deloris, disguised as a nun, chafes against the constraints of convent life and its immovable Reverend Mother. But after she's introduced to the struggling choir at the convent, everything changes. She finds that many of the nuns at the convent are not that different from her and actually quite fun to be around, and as they help Deloris discover her true purpose, the sisters show her a genuine love and affection that was missing in her life. Filled with powerful gospel music, outrageous dancing, and a moving story, Sister Act is a sparkling tribute to the universal power of friendship, with the New York Daily News calling it “a feel-good crowd-pleaser worth celebrating.”

The Clinton Showboat's producing artistic director James Beaudry, who staged last summer’s musical comedy All Shook Up and the romantic drama Constellations, directs Sister Act, with the show's choreography by New York-based guest artist Daniel Gold. Harrison Roth returns to the Showboat as music director, Kyrsten Goodrich is the production stage manager, and the cast also includes returning Clinton favorites Grant Alexander Brown (Curtis), Phaul Fishman (Monsignor O’Hara), Samantha Bonzi (Sr. Mary Martin), Jenny Winn (Mother Superior), and Nancy Teerlinck (Sr. Mary Lazarus). Rounding out the cast are 12 newcomers to the Showboat from around the country, among them Tiffany Beckford, Mike Bindeman, Colette Élan Caspari, Kiara Durbin, Denise Ewers, Benjamin Michael Hall, Jaheim Hugan, Anthony James, Sydney Jaye, Megan Grace Ludwig, Katelyn Murphy, and Dan Rice, and the musical's design team includes Montana Carlson, James Kyle Davis, Dylan Dutro, and Aaron Kennedy.

Of the production, Beaudry says, “I love Sister Act because it’s a laugh-out-loud good time, but it also tells a story of finding true friendship in unexpected places. I went to Catholic school for 12 years, and Sister Act celebrates the wonderful women who commit themselves to a life of religious service and shaped so many lives. No matter where you land on the religious spectrum, the message of the show is a joyful and powerful one that will make you leave the theatre singing.”

The Clinton Area Showboat Theatre's Sister Act runs June 2 through 12, with performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays and Wednesdays at 3 p.m. Admission is $18-25, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)242-6760 and visiting ClintonShowboat.org.

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