The Wilmington Drama League closes its season with a stage musical version of “Sister Act,” opening next weekend.
The stage show was written after the hit film starring Whoopi Goldberg. Patrick Murray, who is directing the performance for the Wilmington Drama League, says that in most respects, the show stays pretty close to the movie in terms of its story.
“I always like to say to people when I'm talking about it, it has all of the best moments of the movie with some new fresh jokes and takes,” he says.
The musical is not a carbon copy of the movie, however. For example, it features a completely different set of songs and is set in the 1970s instead of the 1990s. Another difference is the location. While the film is set in California, the stage version moves the action to Philadelphia, something Murray says is a lot of fun for the Delaware-based theatre company.
“It's kind of great to be doing a musical that takes place in an area so close to the area that we are doing it in,” he says.
Kathy Buterbaugh, the drama league’s production director, is also in the show’s cast. She says one of the best parts of the experience has been bonding with the cast and crew as they work to put on a challenging show.
“Some you cared about before they got into the show and some you just developed a relationship throughout this process,” she says. “Because it is a challenge and you have to hold hands and go through the steps.”
Murray took the uncommon step of having two actors in the lead role in order to show off two performers with different approaches. Depending on the performance, the role of Deloris Van Cartier will be played by either Shana Roberts or Gabrielle Peal.
“They get to borrow from one another, but they get to do their own thing,” Murray says. “So when you see the show, whenever you come, I encourage people to come see both because, though they deliver equivalent performances, they're so different and they're so exciting to watch.”
The Wilmington Drama League’s performances of “Sister Act” open on May 29 and run through June 14.
Delaware Public Media's arts coverage is made possible, in part, by support from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
