Hallelujah! Sister Act musical blesses The Rep’s stage

Who would have ever thought that Cliff Fannin Baker, founder of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, would come out of semiretirement to direct a play about singing and dancing nuns?

The musical is Sister Act, which originated as a 1992 film starring Whoopi Goldberg as a non-nun on the run, seeking to hide out in a nunnery to avoid being found by a dangerous gangster boyfriend whom she has observed committing a murder.

"I saw it in London in previews 12 to 15 years ago," Baker says. "The folks I was with had to drag me to it. I went in cynical and when I came out, I never felt better in my life; it's got so much joy in a world that has become cynical. When I got back I told Bob [Hupp] if it ever came up, please consider me for the director slot.

"Much to my surprise, he put it in this season before he departed."

Based on Joseph Howard's film, the musical was created by Alan Menken (music), Glenn Slater (lyrics) and Cheri and Bill Steinkellner (book), with additional book material by Douglas Carter Beane.

The play premiered at the Pasadena Playhouse in 2006, then moved to Atlanta in 2007, London two years later and opened on Broadway in 2011, where it ran for more than a year.

Baker notes that his choice for the pivotal role of Deloris is "an audacious, passionate and very dynamic individual."

Deloris Van Cartier, the young lounge singer who finds herself a member of a convent thanks to the witness protection program, is played by Soara-Joye Ross.

About her role, Ross says, "As an aspiring performer, I'm trying to figure out how to be whom I want to be, and to get out of an abusive relationship and I come to the realization that I don't need to be a star to get love and support.

"And those who do not typically love musicals, this will change their minds."

Patrick Clanton plays policeman Eddie Souther, who has admired Deloris since high school and would like to perform heroic deeds for her.

"Eddie has a heart of gold," Clanton says. "He has such low self-esteem, however, that he's a profuse sweater, causing him to be called 'Sweaty Eddie.' He's had a crush on Deloris since they were in high school together, but they had lost touch as he became a policeman and she's become this big star -- in her head.

"He decides this time is going to be different, now that he's come up with a way to win her heart. It expands on what his role was in the movie."

Darryl Winslow plays Joey, one of the thugs looking for the singer in hiding, under direction of Deloris' gangster boyfriend Curtis.

"I work for Curtis, who is the best boss in the world," he says. "He does nothing wrong, I'll do anything he asks me to do, I think he's just perfect. His very talented but not quite as popular girlfriend has run away and is going to betray him. So Joey and the other boys are trying to hunt her down and make her disappear."

(Winslow, alone among the show's leading actors, has previous experience at The Rep, having played Sir Belvedere in Monty Python's Spamalot earlier this season.)

Jennie Boone plays Sister Mary Patrick, one of the convent's more "excitable" and "enthusiastic" nuns, she notes.

"I'm one of the youngest nuns," she says. "She finds joy and light and love in absolutely everything. When Deloris comes to the convent she really shakes things up, which she thinks is really fantastic and is really ready to follow her, when most of the rest of the nuns are really hesitant to change. It's really fun to see the growth of the nuns throughout the show."

Several in the cast of 23 are local actors, including Vivian Norman, Zachary Myers, Kelley Ponder, Kathryn Pryor, Taylor Quick and P. Jay Clark. Alyson Courtney (of KATV) is cast as a TV reporter with the "feathered hair" look of the late 1970s, when the show is set.

Baker says people need to know that "they will walk in one way and leave another way. They will leave happier, more positive, with more faith in life, whoever it is that you pray to."

Additional Sister Act events:

• At noon today, the Clinton School of Public Service Distinguished Speaker Series will present the Rep's producing artistic director, John Miller-Stephany, who will be joined by Baker, cast members Ross and Boone and Praise 102.5 FM radio DJ Billy St. James. To reserve seats, email publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or call (501) 683-5239.

• At 6 p.m. today, the play's second preview performance will include Beer Night, provided by Lost Forty Brewing and the Arkansas Times.

• Friday, the play's official opening night, will feature a post-show reception with complimentary champagne and light hors d'oeuvres from RSVP Catering.

• At 7 p.m. Sunday (only on Jan. 29), "Pay Your Age Night" will permit those between ages 22 and 40 to pay the equivalent of their age for a ticket. There are 100 such tickets available and only four tickets per household will be sold, with proof of age for each person in a party required. There will be a complimentary wine tasting provided by Colonial Wine and Spirits.

• At 6 p.m. Feb. 2, there will be a Beer Night provided by Stone's Throw Brewery.

• At 6:30 p.m. Feb. 3, there will be live pre-show music by Ben Brenner in Foster's on the first mezzanine. No ticket is required for the pre-show music.

• The 7 p.m. Feb. 8 performance will be sign-interpreted by Raphael James of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He will be positioned in front of a new special section that will be set up, and deaf patrons are encouraged to contact the Rep box office to reserve seating.

• On Feb. 25, following the evening performance, there will be an after-party, with drinks and appearances by cast members in the lobby. Tickets are not required for the party.

Weekend on 01/26/2017