Sister Act

I've been looking forward to Sister Act for a good few months now. It's been a while since the West End had a big hit, and this seemed like the most likely suspect for the shows opening in the first half of this year.

Went along to opening night this week and LOVED IT. Absolutely adored it. I think the first 15-20 minutes are a little slow but after that it just zips along and is so slick. The nuns, as you would expect, do steal the show. All the characters you'd expect from the film are there, with all their quirks and characterisations. The set is absolutely mindblowing - makes full use of the scale of the Palladium and just is constantly evolving.

It doesn't matter that the music is different. It seems a bit odd to start with, but then Menken's score is so infectious that you forget that part of you was expecting to hear I Will Follow Him. Raise Your Voice and Take Me To Heaven are especially strong.

Patina Miller really is a star - she fills that massive stage with what seems like no effort at all. Her voice is beautiful and she can really act. The supporting cast are all strong also but really pale in comparison next to her (especially Ian Lavender - you barely even know he's in the show!).

Surprised that the reviews were so distinctly lukewarm. Word of mouth is overwhelmingly positive, so hopefully it will defy the critics and keep the nuns singing for some time to come.

Me and My Girl

After the Old Vic 24 hour plays found themselves shortchanged by the clocks going forward earlier this year, clearly Showtime's 48 hour musical challenge thought they'd cash in by going for the weekend where the clocks went back, therefore gaining themselves an extra hour.

On the whole, I was impressed. Bill and Sally (names escape me) were both very strong and carried the show well between them. I thought the tightness of the ensemble numbers was commendable, given the limited rehearsal time, though I did feel that some of the choreography wasn't particularly imaginative. The orchestra (also only rehearsed in 48 hours) were, perhaps, the unsung heroes.

I could have done without Les Dennis and Mel Geidroyc, and especially their overly long drawing of the raffle, but a good evening nonetheless.