Sister Act is about to get a boost….Whoopi Goldberg is coming!

Whoopi Goldberg starred in the iconic Sister Act films back in the 90’s, and I’m still dropping everything to watch those films every time they are on ITV2. Therefore, it is most exciting that she is going to perform on stage for three weeks in August.

This time, however, Whoopi (I love typing that name) is not going to be playing Deloris, but instead she is ‘back in the habit’ to play Mother Superior, currently played by Sheila Hancock.

Sister Act the Musical has some really funny moments, especially in the convent scenes, so I’m sure Goldberg’s acting attributes are going to be a perfect fit with the cast.

Whoopi Goldberg will star in Sister Act at the London Palladium from the 10th to the 31st August, but she will not perform on the 16th or 23rd August, so book carefully if you want to see a comic great.

Buy Sister Act tickets here

 

The bookies favourite came out on top. 18 year old Danielle Hope from Manchester won the role of Dorothy in the upcoming West End production of The Wizard Of Oz.

Danielle was one of the panel’s favourites from early on in the competition, but she seemed to seal the deal with her acting abilities and performing range.

On Saturday night, the first installment of Over The Rainbow saw the final three perform a song from a musical that Lord Lloyd Webber had chosen especially for each. Sophie sang an excellent version of Tomorrow from Annie which really suited her. As much as the girl struggled throughout the competition, she seemed to find herself with these big songs that showed off her voice.

Lauren sang I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady which was absolutely perfect for her voice. She had the best vocal performance of the night, but unsurprisingly, she completely overacted the song.

Danielle had a very odd musical choice with Seventy-six Trombones from The Music Man which showed off her adaptability and stage presence, but was a bit shouty at times. In fact, it was a bit like watching a wannabe cartoon character strutting about. Not good.

I liked Danielle’s performance the least, but wanted Lauren to leave the competition first, which she promptly did. She flew away on the moon, leaving Sophie and Danielle to battle it out in the second half.

Both Danielle and Sophie sang their favourite songs from the series (Danielle’s notorious Mambo Italiano, and Sophie’s Reflection which finally made her a serious contender). They then simply had to come out and sing Over The Rainbow and generate the most votes. Last week, I backed Sophie to win, and after hearing both sing the infamous song, I still think Sophie should have won. But…. Danielle is the better all round choice to perform on stage and I can’t wait to see her at the Palladium. She didn’t seem to have the vocal power that Sophie demonstrated, but it’s not just about singing, right?

So what was your favourite moment of the series? Was it Lord Lloyd Webber’s strange mutterings? John Partridge and Charlotte Church’s spats? Or Sheila Hancock telling it like it is. Graham Norton’s horrible waist coats should be erased from memory, along with Emilie’s singing. It was a good competition with excellent talent, and will be missed by all of us at Discount Theatre towers……sniff.

Since announcing Sophie as my favourite in the last blog, I’ve had to listen to endless diatribes from my colleagues about how unsuitable she is. With the final three having such different qualities, the outcome is really going to come down to personal taste. Let’s recap:

Lauren: without a doubt she is the best singer of the finalists. She’s also been the most consistent vocal performer and could easily handle the rigorous nature of performing night after night. My problem is that her acting looks really forced and she does this really weird thing of flitting between accents when she sings. I started out really liking her, but got bored by mid series…that perceived arrogance hasn’t helped her cause. She should be the first to go on Saturday night.

Sophie: I’ve jumped on the Sophie bandwagon and as I said earlier, it’s down to her performances in the last two weeks. In the first couple of episodes, when the girls were performing in groups, Sophie stood out as a favourite, but she had some disasters, including a Shania Twain episode, which became a Welsh/Hillbilly car crash. As someone said to me, Sophie is the most striking of the final three and her voice is really quite good. If she can sort out her American accent (and there’s time to do that) I think she’s the one.

Danielle: She is the safe bet and the one that will probably win. A very good actress and has the voice as well. I just find her a bit boring and with the exception of her Mambo Italiano, I can’t really recall anything extraordinary about her performances. When the search for Dorothy began, the panellists and Lord Lloyd Webber said they wanted to redefine the role of Dorothy and make it a little edgier. Danielle is a sure bet, and I would go to see her in the show, but will she bring anything new and interesting to the role?

If you are on Twitter, watch out for Discount Theatre’s live tweet on Saturday night. The role of Dorothy is still up in the air and the result may be as unpredictable as the competition.

Sadly, we are all facing the ultimate question: What are we going to do on Saturday nights without Over The Rainbow?

The Wizard Of Oz is on sale now… if you want to see the show regardless of who wins, don’t wait until Saturday night when the masses will descend onto the internet, resulting in a mad grab for tickets. Buy your Wizard Of Oz tickets here.