"Sister Act" by Kristian Thomas Company.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

"Sister Act" is the story of Deloris Van Cartier , a nightclub singer who witnesses her boyfriend, gangster and nightclub owner Curtis, shooting one of his henchmen and decides to squeal to the police. She is then hidden within a group of nuns, for her own protection, and teaches them to sing, So well in fact that they are invited to sing in front of the Pope which attracts the attention of the media, and of course Curtis and his henchmen.

And so to my favourite bit...let there be praise! But just before that, let me just state that I have NEVER seen an audience reaction like the one that I experienced, and was part of on Sunday night. It was the loudest and longest standing ovation that I have seen, even for a professional touring production of anything, never mind a professional version of this musical.

Deloris is played by Tiffany Jackson. First question. Why have we not seen this powerhouse performer before? Probably because she has been busy performing all over the UK. What a voice Tiffany has, and the emotion, soul and power behind that voice simply gave me tingles. I've seen several touring productions of "Sister Act" but I'll be damned if I can remember any of the Deloris's after seeing and hearing Tiffany. I must also mention Deloris's final costume, which I can describe in just one word "Fabulous". Donna Summer would have been jealous! 

Eva Sheppard is Tina and Georgina Bateman is Michelle, Deloris's backing singers and dancers. There are so many strengths in this production, and just one of them is the costumes. Eva and Georgina have some fantastic looking costumes that glitter and shine as much as the actors wearing them. Eva's wig completely transforms her looks, and I had to check my programme just to make sure that it was Eva under that dark wig. Their voices blend perfectly as well.

Curtis is played by Joe Millward. I saw Joe in a mini concert called "A Night At The Musicals" a  few week ago and looked completely different to how he looks in this show. The facial hair and wig completely transformed his looks, but did not hide that mighty voice of his. In quite a few other productions of "Sister Act", Curtis was dressed in a 70's style suit; in this production the costume was a more relaxed outfit of the day, which I think suited the character better, and gave the character a slicker, more cool image, which I would have imagined Curtis, as a club owner and entrepreneur back in that decade to have. Joe is quite chameleonic because I can also remember him playing Bill Sikes in "Oliver" at The Duchess and again looked completely different. A very versatile actor.

Loved the comedy from Curtis's flunkies, Joey (Ben Alexander), TJ (David Page), and Pablo (Stephen Mura). Their big song is "The Lady In The Long Black Dress"; the staging for this also had a fresh appeal with the trio addressing a lady in the front row of the audience as they came down from the stage to audience level to serenade the lucky lady, and then exit through the auditorium entrance door.  Yet again, brilliant costumes and wigs, both of which transformed all three actor's looks, and a massive range in their singing voices.

And so to the nuns. Led by Mother Superior, the staid head who, by the end of the play warms nicely towards Deloris, bringing out the human side of the nun, and played by Adela Green. Certain musicals seem to bring out different things in different actors, and this musical has brought out Adela's power in her vocals, especially in "I haven't Got A Prayer", with a note that seemed to tear a hole in the roof of the theatre, such was the power of Adela's voice.

And for comedy you would have to go a long way to beat Sister Mary Lazarus. Played by Louise Curd, she rocked and rapped her way through some rollicking gospel styled songs.

Sister Mary Robert is played by Helen Perry. I know what a cracking voice Helen has, and to play the role that starts off as timid as a nunnery mouse and then, via the confidence that Deloris gives her, ends up as another powerhouse of a singer is a perfect casting decision. "The Life I Never led" is a brilliant powerhouse ballad which has Helen hitting those strong, big notes that, again, sent the tingles down my back.

And then there was the lovely Amy Wicks who plays Sister Mary Patrick, another wonderfully fresh and ballsy performance which really made me smile, constantly.

The  other "sisters" were such a wonderfully talented bunch that regularly brought a smile to my, already Cheshire cat type face, so thank you Georgina Bateman, Eva Sheppard, Sinead Parkin, Alice Cammell, Alana Fay Moran, Laura Jones, Wendy Austin-Giddings, Poppy Cook, Millie Gilks, Sandy Lane, Deborah McPherson and Alysha Gomes. What moves n grooves for sisters of the cloth; and what shiny cloth as well.

Another smaller but equally comical role was from Giles Petit who played the ever excitable, but oh so trendy Monsignor O'Hara, who gradually became a more trendy version of the man of the cloth, ending up with some glittery boots to match his glittery new personality. Giles also played the role of the Drag Queen as well as Ernie, who made a quick exit near the start of the musical, thanks to Curtis.

Another brilliant little role was played by Mark Coffey-Bainbridge as Officer "sweaty" Eddie Souther, the saviour of the piece, if you'd pardon the expression! Mark is no stranger to this musical as he has previously played the role of TJ a few years ago. Mark has naturally funny bones and so this role is perfect for him, and he presents a completely different character for Eddie. I'm not sure if Glenn Quagmire from "Family Guy" was any inspiration but he sounded similar to this character, and that made this character even funnier. Eddie's big song, "I Could Be That Guy" was delivered perfectly, along with the clever double quick change section.

The featured dancers were Abbie Faulkner, Becky Pearcy, Betsymae Kirkland-Ball, Hattie Kemish, Megan Singleton and Gabby Sculthorpe who added extra sparkle and glamour to the show.

Directed by Alysha Gomes. I have mentioned that I have seen this musical on more than one occasion and have seen both professional touring productions as well as quite a few local theatre productions. With no disrespect to any other production, I think that I can say that this is the ultimate production. The cast were perfectly chosen and there were a couple of things in this production that have been amended or included that I had not noticed in any other production, and that responsibility is initially down to the work done by the Director.

Choreographed by Kristian Cunningham. I have nothing but immense respect for Kristian because I know that he has the gift to extract perfect choreography from any performer under his choreograph tuition. He manages to retain that whole 1970's dance vibe which makes you feel that you've been transported back to that specific decade, which is essential for a musical like this. Dance Captain is Megan Singleton.

Set design is by Proscenium Set Ltd with the backdrop thanks to Roydon Charlesworth. Clever revolving set sections as well as slide on curtaining scenes all made for the whole scene changes to be operated smoothly and efficiently.

Costumes are by Jan Brockhurst, Karen Millward and Jules Sheppard and were. like everything else connected to this show, perfect with a lot of originality shown with many of the costumes.

Musical Director is Charlotte Daniel. I've mentioned previously in this review about the vast range of musical style, and because those ranges have been executed so well, brings the focus down to the MD. The actors all have incredible vocal skills, so to be in charge of shaping those incredibly skilled performers must be a joy for Charlotte. Not a bad note among them, only powerful and confident performers who thrilled the sold out auditorium, causing eruptions of applause after every song.

The songs will get your hands clapping, your toes tapping and on your feet at the end of the night. Brilliant rousers like "Take Me To Heaven", "Raise Your Voice" and "Sunday Morning Fever" and some lovely tender moments like "I Haven't Got A Prayer" and "The Life I Never Led" along with some very funny songs (just listen to the words and remember The Floaters "Float On") from TJ, Pablo and Joey with "Lady In The Long Black Dress".

Sound Designer is Dave Dallard with Jack Clark as the second sound man. I love that clear, punchy sound with the music and I heard every word that the actors spoke and the singers sang. I know that this may be rare for me but there was absolutely nothing even slightly negative to comment on with the sound, it was perfectly managed and operated.

Lighting Designer is Stephen Greatorex and operated by Kiah Smith. Like everything else involved in a Kristian Thomas Company production, the lighting was perfect. Lovely contrasts between the sombre black and white lighting for the inside of the nunnery to the club-like lighting, complete with those big mirror balls, for the big show numbers, that stage was completely awash with light. As bright and colourful as the show itself.

I also must commend Stage Manager Lucy Young on such a smooth and swift operation, making the many scene changes as fluid as if you were watching a film of the production.

You can guarantee that if a production has KTco attached to it, then it's going to be the best quality in local theatre that you'll get. This is why the whole of the week is completely sold out due to the quality of everyone involved. From the actors down to the prop management, sound, light, costumes, choreography, direction, hair, make up and the technical team, if it's under the Kristian Thomas Company umbrella, you will never be disappointed with the quality. Fabulous and heavenly entertainment.

"Sister Act" is at the Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton until Saturday 26 April.