The 1990s hold a very special place in my heart.
I spent most of the decade as a teenager, draped in flannel shirts and ripped jeans, listening to grunge on my Walkman, and gaming on the PlayStation. When I wasn't playing Tekken, I was in the cinema watching some of the best films the 90s had to offer - Jurassic Park, The Rock, Terminator 2, and Sister Act.
And while I'm still in denial that the 90s were now 30 years ago, it does means enough time has passed for some of those movies to make the leap from the big screen, to live theatre - and Sister Act is one of them. Last night saw the neon-soaked stage production arrive in Liverpool playing to a packed audience at the Liverpool Empire.
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Set in 1970s Philadelphia, it follows the story of club singer Deloris Van Cartier, who has the misfortune of witnessing her married lover, gangster Curtis Jackson, murdering one of his associates. Fleeing to the cops, Officer Eddie Souther - a former school friend of Deloris - hides her away in a struggling convent with the Sisters of Perpetual Sorrow, until she can give evidence in court against Jackson.
The set is deceptively simple, the neon lights of clubland blending seamlessly with the more humble, toned down settings inside the church. The cast themselves moving set pieces around as the stage morphs from club, to police station, to convent, to bar and back again.
It's the convent's Mother Superior we first meet, played by Lesley Joseph - probably best known for playing Dorien Green in Birds of a Feather. She may be tiny, but she dominates the stage, her perfect comic timing meaning she steals almost ever scene she's in - and for a woman in her late 70s, she puts my dancing skills to shame.
The role of glamorous singer Deloris is usually played by Sandra Marvin, but for tonight's performance she was played by Gabrielle Davina Smith. Along with backing singers Emma Ralston and Xenoa Campbell, Gabrielle's stunning voice set the bar high for the show, the audience's hands clapping and toes tapping right from her opening number, Take Me to Heaven.
Officer 'Steady' Eddie Souther - played by Clive Rowe - has been besotted with Deloris since school, and is determined to not only keep her safe, but hopes to win her heart in the process. His starring number, I Could Be That Guy provides one of the biggest highlights of the show's first half, Clive's stirring voice paired with a set piece (no spoilers here!) that has the Empire crowd clapping and cheering.
The sisters themselves are an eccentric and eclectic mix. From the slightly senile Sister Mary Theresa, to choir leader Sister Mary Lazarus, and bubbly Sister Mary Patrick, the actors bounce off each other and clearly have a lot of fun with their roles.
In a show packed with impressive singing voices, you'd think it would be impossible to single anyone out. And yet Lizzie Bea, as the painfully timid Sister Mary Robert, shone above everyone. From her quiet, shy singing voice at the start of the show, to her incredibly powerful performances as the story progressed, she was mesmerising. During the dying moments of the touching The Life I Never Led, she held the final note for so long, mere mortals would have been passing out.
There has to be a special mention for Jackson's henchmen - Pablo, Joey and TJ, played by Damian Buhagiar, Tom Hopcroft and Bradley Judge, who had the crowd in fits with their number, Lady in the Long Black Dress, as each describe how they would go about using their charms to woo their way into the convent.
The final act is a joyous, riotous eruption of song and colour - every cast member dripping in sequins, the stage lights making their costumes sparkle and shimmer. Even 'Steady' Eddie's uniform gets a glittering makeover - much to the delight of the audience.
As the cast took their bows they received a standing ovation, well deserved recognition for a heavenly night of entertainment.
Sister Act is at the Empire Theatre until Saturday, May 20.
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