Light illuminates the dark, small stage of a theatre filled with an audience. The cast is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1977 on the night of Christmas Eve. Inside a nightclub, and women are singing and dancing to “Take Me To Heaven” on the stage.
This past weekend, DePauw Theatre presented the sensational musical based off of the film “Sister Act” (1992) at The Moore Theatre in The Green Center of Performing Arts.
Deloris Van Cartier, performed by senior Elise Daniells, is a singer in the night club run by her gangster boyfriend Curtis Shank, performed by senior David Mather. She aspires to be a star in the world of singing and expects Curtis to introduce her to a music producer on her birthday.
Yet, she is betrayed by him and breaks up with him to seize the dream on her own. On her way out of Philadelphia, she accidentally witnesses a murder by Curtis and has to flee from him when he tries to kill her for finding out. Police officer Eddie Souther, performed by junior Will Upham, finds a perfect place for Deloris to hind: a convent.
Although Deloris is horrified by the stoic convent life in the beginning, she gradually finds excitement in it through her musical talents as well as her interactions with Mother Superior, performed by senior Katrina Iorio, and Sister Mary Robert, performed by Sarah Hennessy, and other sisters in the convent.
As the actors sang, danced, jumped, and ran around on the stage, the audience felt the excitement and the theatre was filled with laughter and applause. There was even a little girl in the audience who was dancing and singing to the music during the performance as if she was trying to be a part of the actors.
“It was a hilarious, hilarious musical, the funniest one that I’ve seen here,” junior Dinorah Guillen said. “I liked at the end when Deloris got to wear the white sequin dress and a white fox fur coats, because in the beginning when Deloris first got to the church, she said, ‘I’ve always wanted to wear a white sequin dress and a fox fur coat like Donna Summer’ and now she’s wearing it. I thought it was really beautiful and pretty,” sophomore Emma Rees said showing her excitement.
Crystal LaMar, a former DePauw student who visited DePauw University to support many of her friends performing in the play, enjoyed the change of nuns after Deloris came to the convent. “It reminded me of how important it is to find things you love to do, but even more so how important it is to have a positive attitude about life and to surround yourself with people who care about you,” she said.
The play ended with the lively voice and dance of the reborn choir led by Deloris. The audience gave a standing ovation and the light returned to the venue. Suddenly they were back in Greencastle, Indiana in 2018.
