Genevieve Lemon – Theatre Press

A colourful, loud and joyous production, by Sebastian Purcell

You’ll be raising your voice all night long in this dazzling production of Sister Act the Musical.

Sister Act tells the story of nightclub performer Deloris Van Cartier (Casey Donovan) unwillingly joining a convent of nuns as she hides out waiting to give evidence at trial after witnessing a murder committed by her boyfriend Curtis Jackson (James Bryers) on Christmas eve.

Mother Superior (Genevieve Lemon) agrees to keep Deloris safe under the guise of a nun Sister Mary Clarence, and the two soon discover just how different their respective worlds are. Deloris is put to work to transform the struggling choir into an energised ensemble that reinvigorates the local parish and even receives an invite from the Pope to perform.

Casey Donovan is sublime in her first lead role on the stage. Her vocals are full of soul and power and despite her powerhouse renditions of Raise your voice and Fabulous—which will leave you wanting to join in— found her more nuanced and introspective performance of Sister Act during the second act to be the standout moment of the show. Donovan fills the stage with her presence, delivery and is captivating from start to finish.

Staring alongside Donovan is almost an impossible task, however, Genevieve Lemon as Mother Superior delivers her role with the poise, wit and sincerity that grounds the show, and Deloris’s transformation, in the service of others above self-interest.

Other notable performances include James Bell as TJ, who has a habit of scene-stealing as the flamboyant nephew of Curtis Jackson—Lady in a long black dress was a crowd favourite—and Sophie Montague as Sister Mary Robert, who once finding her voice uses it exuberantly throughout the second act. Montague brings a tenderness and some of the rarer softer moments of self-reflection in the Life I never had to this otherwise colourful, loud and joyous production.

Morgan Large’s set design is a kaleidoscopic, disco-themed high tech display, with slick transitions and LED arches to frame the stage. The stage itself is sparsely decorated allowing the performers plenty of room. By contrast some of the cardboard cut-out sets I felt seem out of place, and I wonder whether they were necessary against the LED arches framing the stage. The LED arches themselves, as well as the backdrop, are most impressive depicting large stain glass windows of the church. Morgan’s costumes range from 70’s disco inspired to technicolour robes and an impressive two-piece costume reveal for Eddie Souther’s (Raphael Wong) rendition of I could be that guy.

The Melbourne premier of Sister Act, produced by John Frost, was met with raucous applause and a standing ovation for Donovan before her curtain call. There are plenty of laughs to go along with the killer soundtrack, making for the perfect night out with friends and family.

Sister Act is know playing at the Region Theatre, Melbourne

Tickets available at Ticketek from $60

Gleefully funny

By Leeor Adar

How dare we, or you, or anyone, be politically incorrect (PC is very in, in case you weren’t paying attention). Lee Lewis’ romp as director into taboo territory is loud, colourful, slapstick, and rainbow-shoots dance hits of the bygones. This production of The Homosexuals is everything you would expect it to be, and then a little more sardonic.

The Homosexuals.jpg

And it is funny. The shining light of this show isn’t the performers so much as their sharp dialogue catapulted from Declan Greene’s pen. I can see the delivery only sharpening as the season goes on, and like Greene’s usual work, is so right now. Right now, and reflected in the play is the war between white homosexual men and other sexual and racial minorities that continue to be marginalised by cookie-cutter ideals. It rages in this production, and offers a farcical gaze upon the pompous rhetoric of queer theorist ‘Bae-Bae’ (played with natural grace and disdain by the genderqueer Mama Alto).

The play is set in a tiny modern apartment in Darlinghurst where Warren (Simon Bourke), the identified ‘older gay gentleman’ looks through his lens at the young and chiselled Adonis (Lincoln Younes). Clichés aside, Warren attempts to hide his interest in the Adonis from his shrieky partner, Kim (Simon Corfield). Cue the realisation that married paradise does not exist even for the queer community. What is meant to be the night of the Mardi-Gras and offensive costume party (hint: blackface/Hiroshimaface/Naziface), turns into a comedy of near-misses as a druggie and part-time cook (Mama Alto) is mistaken for the gloriously self-righteous ‘Bae Bae’. A series of mad antics ensue in what is sure to be a night of laughs.

A real shout-out must go to the top-notch comic delivery of Diana (Genevieve Lemon), who propelled the silliness on stage and brought a sage moment towards the close of the fare. Unfortunately this is where the script diverts too sharply from the rest of the play; the tone suddenly shifts to a serious place that doesn’t have the same wondrous reality-shatter of other works that manage to take comedy to dark places. The point is already made in the piece itself – the audience knows. The show ultimately ends with a whimper, no bang in sight. I found this a touch disappointing given all the walls shattered earlier in the evening.

However, if you want to catch a show that pokes fun at itself and definitely makes you laugh – then by all means, enter the rainbow world of The Homosexuals, or ‘Faggots’, currently showing at the Malthouse Theatre until Sunday 12 March.

Book your tickets here: https://tickets.malthousetheatre.com.au/booking/production/syos/3205

Image by Brett Boardman