Paper Mill Playhouse has canceled its planned production of Sister Act due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has shuttered theatres around the globe and left the Millburn, New Jersey, venue at least $2 million in debt. Watch the announcement from Nicole Vanessa Ortiz, who was to play Delores Van Cartier, below.
“Everyone hopes the show will be seen on the Paper Mill stage,” said the star. “In the meantime, I encourage you to donate the price of your tickets. You’ll receive a full tax deduction and the theatre will get a gift that will help them through this crisis.”
Among those slated to join Ortiz in the production were Nancy Opel, Christian Dante White, and Blake Hammond.
Sister Act was initially scheduled to begin April 1 but pushed back in the hopes that the theatre could reopen in late May or June. The 2020–2021 season is still set to kick off in October with the murder-mystery comedy Clue.
Meanwhile, the U.K. revival of the musical, reworked to feature Whoopi Goldberg reprising her performance as Deloris from the original movie, has been pushed to 2021 at London's Eventim Apollo.
We are sad to announce that we must cancel our production of SISTER ACT for the 2019-2020 season. If you are able to do so, we ask that you consider donating the value of your ticket to help us cover the $2 million deficit we are now anticipating. Thank you for your support! pic.twitter.com/zc2X9xAZ8A
— Paper Mill Playhouse (@Paper_Mill) April 23, 2020
