Cassie Edlund and Cast Photo by Molly Jay

Sister Act first took off as a hit 1992 action-comedy movie starring Whoopi Goldberg. Alan Menken (Little Shop of Horrors, Beauty and the Beast, Newsies) wrote the music for the original songs in this score, paired with sly lyrics by Glen Slater. Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner's book adheres fairly closely to the film's screenplay, particularly through the first act, though the principal setting has been shifted from San Francisco to Philadelphia. Taking a circuitous route, Sister Act played try-out runs in Pasadena in 2006 and Atlanta in 2007, and an open-ended London engagement in 2009. With additional work on the book by playwright Douglas Carter Beane, Sister Act arrived on Broadway in spring 2011 to positive reviews, a star-is-born lead performance by Patina Miller, and a year and a half long run.

It is 1978, and Deloris Van Cartier is a singer with dreams of stardom, dishing out R&B, disco and rap. She is dating Curtis, a hot-headed and married mob-boss. On the brink of leaving him, she walks in on Curtis pumping lead into a suspected stool pigeon. Deloris reports what she saw to the police. Curtis has been on their radar for a long time and Deloris' testimony could finally put him behind bars. To protect her in the meantime, the desk officer, Eddie, puts her in witness protection, hiding her where Curtis would never look: a convent. And wouldn't you know it, Deloris and Eddie knew each other way back in high school, when he had an enormous crush on her.

With one look at Deloris' smoking-hot attire, and hearing her prattle on about her impious activities, using language that would curdle the convent walls, Mother Superior of the Queen of Angels Convent and Church refuses Eddie's appeal to let her hide among the sisters. However, the parish is in dire need of funds and Monsignor O'Hara prevails upon Mother Superior to take in Deloris as an act of mercy–and in exchange for the police department's generous compensation. Mother Superior agrees, but the stage is set for a battle of wills between these two polar opposite women.

Knowing that Deloris is a singer, Mother Superior assigns her to join the convent's choir, which is utterly horrible. (We have already heard them in a ghastly rehearsal, staged as a hilarious comic gambit). Deloris has already won over a couple of the nuns, adventurous Sister Mary Patrick and a withdrawn postulate, Sister Mary Robert. They encourage the stern but inept choir leader, Sister Mary Lazarus, to let Deloris (who is presented to the sisters as Sister Mary Clarence) give them some pointers. In the course of one rousing number, voila, Deloris finds her calling as a redeemer of wretched choirs.

It would be interesting to know which came first, Siddeeqah Shabazz and Michael Terrell Brown stepping forward and insisting that Lyric Art's leadership allow them to direct and choreograph, respectively, a production of Sister Act, or the leadership team selecting Sister Act for a spot in the current season before finding in Shabazz and Brown the perfect creative duo to bring it to exuberant life. Either way, it is a perfect match. Shabazz' direction is terrific, going dynamically from scene to scene without ever letting the narrative thrust sag, and drawing out characterizations that are clearly defined without being caricatures.

Brown gives each of Sister Act's abundant dance numbers a unique flair. He succeeds in making nuns in full habit into a limber dance ensemble. The dances never feel like the result of turning an on/off dance switch, but are an outgrowth of the liberating joy inherent in their singing. Brown infuses droll humor in two dance numbers given to the gangsters, making witty use of dance cliches. Music director Laura Long delivers Menken's infectious score, replete with '70s-era soul, and leads a terrific-sounding 12-piece orchestra.

Not only does this production have the ideal director and choreographer, but in Cassie Edlund it has a phenomenal Deloris Van Cartier. As the show's central character, she shines with exuberant energy and brings authenticity to the plot developments, even when they stretch credibility. She can deliver a line with sass, fear, humor, or tenderness with equal aplomb. And her voice–what a gift! She soars early on in "Fabulous Baby!," grabs our heartstrings in the 11 o'clock "Sister Act", and is swell in everything in between. Fjaere Harder plays a strong offense as Deloris's nemesis, Mother Superior, though the accent she affects is a bit strained. Still, Harder plays the role with spunk. She brings warmth to her rendition of "Here Within These Walls," and ably expresses her exasperation in "Haven't Got a Prayer."

Quinton Michael is totally believable as well as lovable playing Eddie, the gentle-natured cop with a still smoldering teenage crush on Deloris. He shines when opening up his heart to the street, giving voice to his hope that if Deloris gave him a chance, "I Could Be That Guy." Darius A. Gillard brings utter authenticity to his portrayal of the gangland boss Curtis, turning on undeniable charm in song that blends Barry White-styled bedroom-eyes soul with a death warrant, "When I Find My Baby." Kaoru Shoji is wonderful as Sister Mary Robert, convincingly withdrawn early on, then gradually opening up until she is finally able to proclaim her readiness to explore "The Life I Never Led," unleashing a strong, yearning voice that is blanketed beneath her whisper.

Reagan Bailee Moss, as Sister Mary Patrick, and Sher U-F, as Sister Mary Lazarus, also especially stand out, and Eric Lee is winning as Monsignor O'Hara, amiably accepting the reality that taking care of his church includes being able to pay the bills. The remainder of the cast shine variously as nuns, Deloris' back-up singers, hit men, or acolytes, putting their hearts into song, dance, and delivery of numerous well-crafted jokes. "Raise Your Voice," "Take Me to Heaven (reprise)," "Sunday Morning Fever" (a great riff on a popular movie from the show's 1978-time frame), and the closing "Spread the Love Around" give the nuns' choir the opportunity to lift the rafters in soulful song, and the cast doesn't hold back in making each of these numbers a showstopper.

All design and tech work on this production is of high caliber. Bradley Whitcomb's set allows for seamless conversion from nightclub to police station to choir loft to gangland HQ, and other settings. Khamphian Vang's costumes gamely capture the late '70s disco-era look, along with the centuries old styles of the traditionally garbed nuns. Ellie Simonett's lighting design brings additional atmosphere to the narrative and effectively darkens areas of the stage to be reset for scene changes without disrupting the ongoing scene in progress.

Anoka's Lyric Arts has been on a consistently uphill trajectory in its production of musicals. Sister Act just may be their best yet. This is a top-rate show, an example of a movie-to-stage musical that not only works, but fires on all cylinders. It drew love from critics upon opening on Broadway, but paled in the shadow cast by The Book of Mormon, which opened four weeks earlier and captured all of the season-end awards. But make no mistake, Sister Act is totally worth seeing. The cast and crew at Lyric Arts ensure that you will come away lifted slightly off the ground in the way a great musical can do, especially one focused on sisterly uplift.

Sister Act runs through May 11, 2025, at Lyric Arts Main Street Stage, 420 East Main Street, Anoka MN. For tickets and information, please call 763-422-1838 or visit lyricarts.org.

Music: Alan Menken; Lyrics: Glen Slater; Book: Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner, based on the Touchstone Pictures Motion Picture Sister Act written by Joseph Howard; Additional Book Material: Douglas Carter Beane; Orchestrations: Doug Besterman; Vocal and Incidental Music Arrangements: Michael Kosarin; Dance Music Arrangements: Mark Hummel; Director: Siddeeqah Shabazz; Choreography: Michael Terrell Brown; Music Direction: Laura Long; Scenic Design: Bradley Whitcomb; Costume Design: Khamphian Vang; Lighting Design: Ellie Simonett; Sound Design: Paul Estby; Props Design: Ren Edson; Intimacy and Fight Choreography: Callie Aho; Stage Manager: Grace Happe; Assistant Stage Manager: Ainsley Cox.

Cast: Dezhané Antoinette (ensemble), Justin Cervantes (Pablo), Cassie Edlund (Deloris Van Cartier), Caitlin Featherstone (Sister Mary Martin-of-Tours), Ann Farrell (Sister Mary Theresa), Darius A. Gillard (Curtis), Fjaere Harder (Mother Superior), Jonathan P. Haller (Joey), Christopher Harney (ensemble), Carter Hoffer (ensemble), Quintin Michael (Eddie), Eric Lee (Monsignor O'Hara/Ernie), Reagan Bailee Moss (Sister Mary Patrick), Nicholas Ohren (TJ), Raquel Ponce (Michelle/ensemble), Maddie Shaffer (ensemble), Gianna Schiller (Tina/ensemble), Kaoru Shoji (Sister Mary Robert), Sher U-F (Sister Mary Lazarus), Quinn Wambeke (ensemble).