The London engagement of the upcoming U.K. tour of the musical Sister Act will begin a week earlier than initially announced.
As previously reported, EGOT winner Whoopi Goldberg will return to the role of Deloris Van Cartier in the new, re-imagined production of the musical. The stage and screen star, who created the role in the 1992 film, was initially announced as a producer for the production, already set to tour the U.K. starring The X Factor semi-finalist and West End veteran Brenda Edwards. That reworked version, in which Deloris is written as an older woman rather than the 20-something from the film and original musical, opens April 21 at the Curve, Leicester.
Goldberg will step into the role when the show comes to the Eventim Apollo. Originally scheduled to begin July 29, Goldberg will now get back into the habit July 21 for a limited run through August 30. She'll be joined by Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous), who will star as Mother Superior, a role played by Goldberg in 2010 at the London Palladium. Tickets for the extra week go on sale February 7.
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In a statement, producer Jamie Wilson said, “I’m delighted that now we can offer audiences an additional week of performances to see Whoopi and Jennifer in their first ever appearance on stage together. It has been so exciting to work alongside Whoopi, Alan Menken, Douglas Carter Beane, and Glenn Slater on bringing this newly adapted production to the stage for today’s audiences. We can’t wait for the U.K. to see it.’’
Sister Act, which played the West End in 2009 before a 2011 Broadway bow, features original music by Tony and Oscar winner Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater, and a book by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner with additional book material by Douglas Carter Beane.
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