Sister Act Dazzling and Disappointing

Missie couldn't make it to see the next show in our Broadway series, Sister Act. So, I took my friend Mikey, who hadn't experienced live theater for several years and was looking forward to the show.

Now, the original Sister Act movie, starring Whoopi Goldberg, is a personal favorite. I remember watching it on airplanes coming AND going from one of my trips to Asia. When I learned that Whoopi was one of the producers of the Broadway musical, my anticipation to see the show blossomed.

Mikey and I followed the same pattern Missie and I established; Bricco for lunch and cocktails, show, Bricco shots during intermission, show and then Bricco for more cocktails.

The show was good, but not what I expected. I kept waiting for the wonderfully re-imagined Motown songs used in the movie, but such was never delivered. Instead, the show consisted of original songs -- decent songs by Alan Menken at that, but not Motown classics. The setting of the show was changed to Philadelphia and the Eddie Souther role was altered and expanded. The plot remained largely the same.

The cast was exceptional, with one weak spot and one outstanding performance. The weak spot was the actress who played Mary Patrick. She just didn't have the dynamic vocal range the role requires. However, the acting and singing of Hollis Resnik in the role of Mother Superior more than compensated. In the movie, Maggie Smith's character never sang a note. This was one change I truly enjoyed.

Our Bricco experience after the show was surprisingly, almost jarringly unpleasant. After bragging to Mike about how much I loved "my" Bricco, we encountered rudeness and apathy from the staff and decided to cut our visit short and drive back to Akron. After a typical show, our check for drinks and food is usually in the $80 range, upon which I usually tip at least 30%. This time, out check was $15. There is probably a lesson for someone in there.

On the way out of the theater, I picked up a CD of the Broadway Cast album, hoping the music grows on me. We shall see.