Sister Act the Musical at Birmingham Hippodrome Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by H Whetton

There has been so much hype over Sister Act the Musical, with some fantastic reviews, and I know why it’s brilliant. I feel really lucky to be reviewing the opening night at Birmingham Hippodrome.

As soon as you arrive at the Hippodrome you can feel the buzz and excitement for the show. Birmingham Hippodrome is a wonderful theatre that holds its own with any West End theatre.

As the lights went down and the show started we knew straight away that we were in for a fantastic night.

I love the story behind Sister Act the Musical. Deloris, is a want to be Motown superstar, with a really bad taste in men. Her boyfriend happens to be a mob boss called Curtis, and when she is witness him murdering a snitch she realises she’s in trouble. Deloris is put into witness protection, and is sent to the safety of the church, and disguised as non other than a nun!! Whilst finding her place in the church Deloris causes chaos for the Mother Superior, she becomes a favourite of the other nuns, and takes over the nun’s failing choir. Putting her musical talents to godly use Deloris improves the choir so much that they start to get noticed by the media and the Pope himself and unfortunately the very people she is hiding from.

I love the musical score in this production, it is gospel, and soulful, all wrapped up with a fantastic orchestra, it has everyone’s feet tapping. I loved their use of lights, from party mode to contemplation they set each scene off perfectly. Really slick set changes, each one setting the storyline perfectly. The costumes were as you would expect for a nun, except for the end scene, where the whole cast sparkled, hats off to the costume department they shone.

Landi Oshinowo as Deloris was pure perfection, she has an incredible voice, and played the role brilliantly. Sue Cleaver as the Mother Superior was funny, I really did feel sorry for her character at times. I really enjoyed her performance of “I haven’t got a prayer”, it was so funny. Eddie the police officer played by Alfie Parker, has a longstanding crush on Deloris, he wows the whole audience with a humorous, heartfelt song called “I could be that guy”. I really was not expecting it. Again another great performance.

In all honesty I loved the whole show and everyone’s performance. It is really hard to pick out a favourite pieces of the performance. The show is so funny, I spent most the evening laughing and foot tapping. With a standing ovation I’m not the only person who enjoyed tonight’s performance.

Sister Act the musical is a must see, if you want an evening of humour, music and outstanding performances, Sister Act the musical has it all.

Birmingham Hippodrome is a lovely theatre, its clean, airy, easy to get to. It boasts The Lounge Circle dining room which serves Mediterranean dishes, desserts and on matinee performances afternoon tea. Opening two hours before the start of the show it makes fantastic pre show dining. The Hippodrome has easily accessible bars for pre, and interval drinks, a coffee bar and plenty of seating. If you fancy something special they also offer VIP Proscenium lounge packages, offering drinks, and nibbles. The Hippodrome is fully accessible, with fantastic helpful staff on hand should you need them.

The run time for the show is approximately 2hrs and 20 min with an interval.
I rate Sister Act the musical 5/5
Ticket prices vary depending on seats and concessions, £24 – £56
https:/birminghamhippdrome.com
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https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/calendar/sister-act-two/
Ticket info and booking on 0844 388 5000 calls cost 4.5 pence per minute.
Rating: 5/5
Birmingham Hippodrome,
Hurst street,
Southside,
Birmingham, B5 4TB
The closest carparks are the Arcadian and Gallan. If you fancy a walk it is around ten minutes from the Bullring.