“Sister Act,” the musical based on the hit comedy film, will make its Philadelphia premiere April 2-7.
The story of a brassy lounge singer hiding in a convent is still the heartwarming tale people remember from the film, but some changes have been made in the transition to the stage.
“The original movie took place in the 1990s in San Francisco,” said openly gay cast member Charles Barksdale. “The show takes places in the 1970s in Philadelphia. Delores in the movies was dating an Italian mobster with two goons but in the show she’s dating a black guy, Curtis, and he has three goons. I play TJ, one of the goons who is his nephew. I’m one of the characters that is out to get her and my character is all comic relief. He’s very silly.”
Fellow out cast member Ernie Pruneda plays Pablo, another of Curtis’ henchman.
“Our part has kind of been expanded,” he said. “Me and the two other guys, we have a couple songs about how we’re going to get Delores. I’m the Latin guy and kind of a hothead. We sing in a Bee Gees-style sound.”
Pruneda said audiences have responded well to the changes in the story.
“The skeleton of the movie is still pretty much the same. She witnesses a murder. She goes into a convent to hide and then ends up taking over the choir and making the girls fierce. It’s a blast. You will absolutely leave smiling and dancing after the show. To me it’s an improvement from where the movie left off.”
“Our show is just an amped-up version of the movie,” Barksdale added. “There’s a lot more sequins and a lot of big production numbers. All the music is original. The writers wanted to do something different. There’s a lot of disco and gospel and funk. Also you get a very Disney approach to it.”
Actor and comedian Whoopi Goldberg, who starred in the original film, is one of the producers of the stage show.
Barksdale said Goldberg stopped in to impart some of her wisdom to the cast during rehearsals for the show in New York.
“She popped in and gave us advice about being on the road,” Barksdale said. “She’s great. She had a lot of good advice. It’s Whoopi. She’s crazy to be around.”
Pruneda added that meeting Goldberg and being part of “Sister Act” has been a thrill. “I have to admit, ‘Sister Act 2’ is my favorite movie of all time,” he said. “It still makes me cry. For me, this is absolutely a dream come true because I just love the story. It has fierce singing from everybody.”
“Sister Act” runs April 2-7 at Kimmel’s Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St. For more information or tickets, call 215-790-5847 or visit www.sisteractthemusical.com.