Sister Act Archives - Broadway Black

Jeannette Bayardelle Leads Sister Act at North Shore

Broadway Black — Sun, 25 Oct 2015 16:53:08 +0000

Jeannette Bayardelle (Hair, The Color Purple) leads the cast of Sister Act as “Deloris Van Cartier” at the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts, from November 3- November 15.

If you’ve never seen Sister Act, I’ll catch you up. The story follows Deloris Van Carter and her acclimation to a culture completely opposite to that of her own. After wintessing her boyfriend commit a murder, the police send Deloris into witness protection. What better place for an aspiring disco personality to live incognito than a convent? Deloris brings heart and soul to the choir and discovers home in a sisterhood she would have never thought possible.

Based on the 1992 hit of the same name, staring Whoopi Goldberg, Sister Act has translated well to the stage and was nominated for five Tony’s. The show features original music by Tony and 8-time Oscar-winner Alan Menken (Newsies, Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors, Aladdin) and lyrics by Glenn Slater (School of Rock, Leap of Faith, Love Never Dies, Tangled). The original musical starred Patina Miller who later went on to win big as Best Actress in a Musical for Pippin at the 2013 Tony Awards.

Sister Act will be directed and choreographed by Kevin P. Hill. Aside from Bayerdale, the cast includes: Ellen Harvey (Mother Superior), Avionce (TJ), Brent Bateman (Joey), Kyle Robert Carter (Eddie Souther), Jennie Joefree (Sister Mary Patrick), Tina Johnson (Sister Mary Lazarus), Nikko Kimzin (Pablo), Jonathan Kirkland (Curtis Jackson), Richard Pruitt (Monsignor O’Hara), and Lael Van Keuren (Sister Mary Robert)

For tickets and information call (978) 232-7200, visit www.nsmt.org

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BB Casting Agency: Patina Miller as West Side Story’s Maria

Broadway Black — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 21:03:20 +0000

One of my favorite musicals is West Side Story, that timeless Shakespearean romantic tale of young lovers who fight against the odds to be together. The story, set in New York’s West side in the mid-1950s during a time of racial tension, explores the rivalry between two street gangs. The Jets are a white gang and the Sharks are from Puerto Rico. In the midst of this drama, “Tony,” a former member of the Jets and best friend of the gang leader, “Riff,” falls in love with “Maria,” the sister of “Bernardo,” the leader of the Sharks. Unfortunately, their love escalates the tension between the gangs and leads to a tragic ending.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy6wo2wpT2k

In my version of West Side Story, instead of Puerto Rican and white gangs, we’d replace those with African American and Latino gangs. With that switch, the perfect actress for the perfect role – the hopeless romantic female lead, “Maria,” – can only be played by Tony Award winner Patina Miller. While the “Maria” character is “supposed” to be a teenager, most of the actresses who’ve played the role on Broadway and on screen have been in their twenties. Carol Lawrence who originated the role in the 1957 Broadway production was 22 and Natalie Wood was 23 when she played the role on-screen. Miller, at 30, is older but she looks young enough to pull it off.

Miller made her West End and Broadway debuts playing “Deloris Van Cartier” in Sister Act and won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her lead role in Pippin. Vocally, she will excel with the Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim tunes, although the role calls for a soprano. But, it’s my dream, so we’ll have the musical arranger work out those details. She has boundless energy and she’s multitalented enough to pull off any role. Even one that was written for a young Puerto Rican girl.

Patina Miller and the cast of the 2013 Broadway revival of the musical PIPPIN, perform the number “Simple Joys” live on the Late Show with David Letterman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI7SZnwRCJI

Seriously, is there someone out there who can make this happen?

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A Look Back: Raven-Symoné in Sister Act The Musical

Broadway Black — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 16:44:56 +0000

These days all the buzz about Raven-Symoné tends to be be more about her personal opinions. From her comments on her race (“I’m an American. I’m not an African-American; I’m an American”) to her opinion when a reporter said Michelle Obama looked like a monkey (“I don’t think what he’s saying is racist. Some people look like animals… Is that rude? I look like a bird”), she is definitely not afraid to take an unpopular opinion and stick to it. It was recently announced that Symoné has been named the newest co-host on television talk show The View. But before all the media hoopla, Raven-Symoné performed on Broadway in the musical Sister Act, and was getting more press from her talent, rather than her made-for-Twitter commentary.

Raven Symone & Chester Gregory In Sister Act The Musical

In 2012, Symoné took on the role of lounge singer-turned-nun Deloris Van Cartier (famously played by Whoopi Goldberg in the film of the same name), who witnesses a murder and is put in protective custody in a convent. Disguised as a nun, she finds herself at odds with both the rigid lifestyle and an uptight Mother Superior. Using her unique dance moves and singing talent to inspire the choir, Deloris breathes new life into the church and community, but in doing so blows her cover.

In the Broadway production, the role was originally played by Patina Miller, who earned a Tony Award nomination; Sister Act was also nominated for Best Musical and Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In an interview with Huffington Post, Symoné said she fell in love with the musical the moment she saw it. “I was definitely one of the audience members dancing in the aisles. I think it’s a wonderfully scored and directed and written musical. I’m very excited to be part of this.” She concluded by saying, “I’m really not the kind of person who worries about every single review. My thing is my family’s going to watch, and I don’t want to look stupid on stage. So I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Sister Act ultimately ran for a little over a year on Broadway, to largely positive and enthusiastic reviews.

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