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Sister Act and Delstar Bring Soul to the Palladium
In June this year the screen-to-stage musical Sister Act - ‘a divine all singing all dancing musical comedy' according to the Daily Express - premièred at the London Palladium to a star-studded audience and roof-raising applause.
The original 1992 film (which grossed over $200 million worldwide) tells the story of Deloris, a Reno lounge singer who raises the roof with her antics in the church choir, after being placed in protective police custody in a convent. The theatre adaptation transfers the story to 1970s Philadelphia and the cast includes Patina Miller as Deloris Van Cartier, Sheila Hancock as the Mother Superior and Ian Lavender as Monsignor Howard. Sister Act features a brand new score by 8-time Oscar winner Alan Menken whose list of hit credits include Little Shop of Horrors, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and, most recently, the hit movie Enchanted. Star of the film and co-producer of the stage show, Whoopi Goldberg, has visited London to see the cast during rehearsals and was there on opening night to congratulate the company at the curtain call.
The show is packed full of entertainment thrills, and not just from the musical score and stage talent. Delstar Engineering kitted out the Palladium with a modular floor 15 years ago and was invited back again to enhance the engineering capabilities of the theatre for this fresh and exuberant show. The installation includes a walkway and an arrangement of over 40 dedicated working winches that drive a variety of effects ranging from small flown pieces to heavy scenic walls. Delstar also installed a complex show deck, incorporating an inner and outer revolve that can raise and lower lifts while rotating as a central focus on stage. With this ingenious piece of machinery allowing for great performance versatility, the Sisters can really get into the swing of the set changes!
The original cast recording album has just been released and the show is expected to run until at least December 2010.
photo: Catherine Ashmore
http://www.delstar.co.uk
4th August 2009
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