Show guide
Sister Act
Sister Act is a 2011 Broadway musical comedy based on the 1992 film, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Glenn Slater, about a disco singer hiding from her gangster boyfriend inside a struggling convent.
- Broadway premiere
- 2011
- Music by
- Alan Menken
- Genre
- Comedy
- Setting
- 1970s
Sister Act: quick answers
What is Sister Act about?
- Sister Act follows Deloris Van Cartier, a nightclub singer who witnesses her gangster boyfriend commit a murder and is hidden by police in a struggling convent, where, disguised as a nun, she transforms the choir and clashes with the Mother Superior.
When did Sister Act open on Broadway?
- Sister Act opened on Broadway on April 20, 2011, at the Broadway Theatre, with Patina Miller in her Broadway debut, and closed on August 26, 2012, after 561 performances. It was nominated for several Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
What kind of musical is Sister Act?
- Sister Act is a musical comedy with an original score by Alan Menken (music) and Glenn Slater (lyrics), with a book by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner and additional material by Douglas Carter Beane. It adapts the 1992 film but moves the story to 1970s Philadelphia.
Where and when is Sister Act set?
- Sister Act is set in Philadelphia in the late 1970s (the Broadway version is set in 1977), moving between her gangster boyfriend Curtis's nightclub and a struggling convent.
Has Sister Act played in London's West End?
- Sister Act opened in the West End at the London Palladium on June 2, 2009, starring Patina Miller as Deloris and Sheila Hancock as Mother Superior, and ran until October 30, 2010. Whoopi Goldberg briefly played Mother Superior there in August 2010.
Is there a Sister Act movie?
- The musical is based on the 1992 film Sister Act, directed by Emile Ardolino and starring Whoopi Goldberg as a Reno lounge singer hidden in a San Francisco convent, with Maggie Smith and Harvey Keitel.
The story of Sister Act
Set in Philadelphia in 1977, Sister Act opens on Christmas Eve with Deloris Van Cartier, an aspiring disco singer, performing at the nightclub owned by her gangster boyfriend, Curtis. When Deloris sees Curtis and his crew shoot a man they believe has informed on them, she runs to the police, who hide her for her own safety in the one place Curtis would never look: a convent, where she is disguised as a nun and given the name Sister Mary Clarence.
Inside the convent, Deloris clashes with the strict Mother Superior but wins over the other sisters by taking charge of the struggling choir, transforming it with disco-inflected arrangements that draw crowds and revive the parish's fortunes. As Curtis and his henchmen close in on her hiding place, Deloris has to decide whether to return to her old life or embrace the community and purpose she has found within the convent's walls.
The music and the makers
Alan Menken composed the score, with lyrics by Glenn Slater and a book by Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner, later reworked with additional material by Douglas Carter Beane for Broadway. Rather than reusing songs from the film, the creative team wrote an entirely original score built around 1970s soul and disco sounds, giving the show a period-specific energy distinct from Menken's more classically Broadway work on shows like Beauty and the Beast.
Signature numbers include Take Me to Heaven, Deloris's opening nightclub song; Raise Your Voice, in which she reshapes the convent choir; and the show's celebratory finale, Spread the Love Around. That shift from Motown-style solo numbers to full-company gospel and disco arrangements traces Deloris's journey from solo performer to the heart of a community, giving the score its emotional structure.
Sister Act on Broadway
After debuting at the Pasadena Playhouse in 2006 and opening in the West End at the London Palladium in 2009, a revised version of Sister Act opened on Broadway on April 20, 2011, at the Broadway Theatre, directed by Jerry Zaks. Patina Miller starred as Deloris in her Broadway debut, with Victoria Clark as Mother Superior; both earned Tony nominations for their performances.
The production received five Tony nominations in total, including best musical, best book, and best original score, though it won none, losing the top prize to The Book of Mormon. Whoopi Goldberg, who had starred in the original 1992 film, served as one of the show's Broadway producers. Sister Act closed on August 26, 2012, after 561 performances, and has since been licensed for productions and tours worldwide.
Sister Act: frequently asked questions
When did Sister Act open on Broadway?
Sister Act opened on Broadway on April 20, 2011, at the Broadway Theatre.
Who wrote the music for Sister Act?
Alan Menken composed the music, with lyrics by Glenn Slater.
What is Sister Act about?
It follows disco singer Deloris Van Cartier, who hides from her gangster boyfriend by posing as a nun in a struggling convent and transforms its choir along the way.
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