Michelle Ellis (pictured center during rehearsals) plays the role of Delores in Little Theatre of Virginia Beach’s production of “Sister Act.” Photo by Alan Mathews.  

By Jerome Langston

Heading into its 79th season as Virginia Beach’s oldest continually operating community theater, Little Theatre of Virginia Beach’s building — situated just a few blocks from the oceanfront, and tucked away in a residential neighborhood for over five decades now, is as charming and yet nondescript as one would likely imagine. It’s the middle of the workweek, and mercifully the humidity feels less gruesome than it has in recent days. Maris Smith, formerly the marketing director at Virginia Stage Company, is accompanying me for my interview at the theatre with Kay Burcher, who is directing their big summer musical, “Sister Act,” with previews about to start in just over a week. Smith handles marketing for Little Theatre of Virginia Beach and has been keeping me informed for quite some time about the long-running community theater, which is still an all-volunteer, not-for-profit run organization. Burcher has directed numerous shows for LTVB over the years, and the theater major, who is also a member of the organization’s board of directors, has distinguished herself in our local theatre scene, with her many credits as an actress, director and costumer — a fact highlighted in a Veer Magazine article written by arts writer Montague Gammon III, back in 2018, which previewed the popular musical, “Hairspray,” which she also directed.

Inside the lobby I meet Kay, who is dressed casually… in preparation for a late night of rehearsing and stage work. The set is still very much a work in progress, as we are later seated inside the intimate playhouse, looking towards its sizable stage, for a community theater. Maris tells me later that it has seating for about 174 patrons. I asked the director why she chose to direct “Sister Act.”

“Well first of all, of course, I loved the musical. Now this is different… In that the music is all new. It was not the music that you hear in the movie. This is all new music written by Alan Menken…” says Burcher. “I liked it because of several factors. One, it’s uplifting. And I think in this particular climate that we’re in right now, we need things that are uplifting. It also shows coming together and working together. It shows people changing… and learning to compromise with other people… So there’s a lot of things about it that I like, that I think people need to be aware of, and do better at, in our daily lives,” she adds. This production features a cast of 25, which includes 16 nuns, and entertains with well over a dozen musical numbers over its two acts.

Released in late May of 1992, “Sister Act” was a musical comedy starring Whoopi Goldberg as a lounge singer named Deloris Van Cartier, who hides in a convent as part of a witness protection program, after unwittingly becoming a witness to a murder. The film also starred Maggie Smith as Reverend Mother, Kathy Najimy as Sister Mary Patrick, Wendy Makkena as Sister Mary Robert, and Bill Nunn as Lieutenant Eddie Souther. Despite earning largely mixed reviews upon its opening, the movie was a commercial blockbuster — becoming one of the biggest movies of the year. It also earned Goldberg acclaim, a Golden Globe Award nomination, and a NAACP Image Award win. Sister Act is largely considered a movie classic now, and spawned a 1993 sequel, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, which is also well regarded. That sequel notably starred a young Lauryn Hill and Jennifer Love Hewitt — both of whom would become cultural icons of the late nineties.

The stage musical opened at London’s prestigious West End, at the London Palladium, in June of 2009. The Broadway version opened at the Broadway Theatre on April 20, 2011. With music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater, with its book by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner. It starred Patina Miller as Deloris Van Cartier/Sister Mary Clarence. The production ran for well over a year, closing in August of 2012. The show received five Tony Award nominations, including for Best Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, and Best Original Score, but was winless at the ceremony. Musical numbers from the show include “It’s Good to be a Nun,” “The Life I Never Led,” “Sunday Morning Fever,” and “Raise Your Voice.”

Actress Michelle Ellis portrays the classic Whoopi Goldberg lead role, while Cynthia Baker plays Mother Superior, Pamela Jacobson-Bowhers plays Sister Mary Theresa, and Meredith Owens becomes Sister Mary Robert, a fan favorite for those of us who loved the first movie. As Burcher tells me, the stage version of the story follows the same basic plot of the classic film. Alan Mathews and Peter Fagan are assistant directors on this show, while Richard Robert Rossi is the musical director. And Karen Buchheim is handling choreographer duties. LTVB’s history producing shows in Virginia Beach dates all the way back to 1948, but they’ve had their permanent space at Barberton Drive since 1972. Works by the likes of Arthur Miller, Neil Simon, and Shakespeare have been performed at the theater, over its many seasons. I asked Kay about her vision for this show. “My vision is to have a big, splashy musical that people will go out feeling good about, and good about themselves. I’m hoping that by the end of the show, people will have taken some of the small lessons from it and applied them to their life… But most of all I want them to enjoy it, and to have a good time.”

WANT TO GO?

“Sister Act” 

July 17-August 9

Little Theatre of Virginia Beach 

ltvb.com