CLINTON, Iowa — Producing Artistic Director James Beaudry and the Clinton Area Showboat Theater (CAST) will kick off their summer season on Thursday, June 2 with the stage adaptation of the beloved musical comedy, Sister Act. Whoopi Goldberg starred in the hugely popular 1992 film as Deloris Van Cartier, and Kris Lyons, an audience favorite from last summer, returns to Clinton to take on the role.
The musical follows aspiring disco diva, Deloris, who, after witnessing a murder, is put in protective custody in the one place the cops are sure she won’t be a found: a convent. Disguised as a nun, she finds herself at odds with her new, rigid lifestyle and an uptight Mother Superior. But using her unique style and singing talent to inspire the choir, Deloris breathes new life into the church and its community.
Beaudry, who staged last summer’s hit comedy All Shook Up, directs the production with thrilling choreography by New York-based guest artist, Daniel Gold. Harrison Roth returns to the Showboat as music director, and Kyrsten Goodrich is the production stage manager. The cast also includes returning favorites Grant Alexander Brown (Curtis), Phaul Fishman (Monsignor O’Hara), Samantha Bonzi (Sr. Mary Martin), and Jenny Winn (Mother Superior) and Nancy Teerlinck (Sr. Mary Lazarus) from the Quad Cities region.
Of the production, Beaudry says, “I love Sister Act because it’s a laugh out loud good time, but it also tells a story of finding true friendship in unexpected places. I went to Catholic school for 12 years, and Sister Act celebrates the wonderful women who commit themselves to a life of religious service and shaped so many lives. No matter where you land on the religious spectrum, the message of the show is a joyful and powerful one that will make you leave the theatre singing.”
Rounding out the cast of Sister Act are 12 newcomers to the Showboat from around the country including Tiffany Beckford, Mike Bindeman, Colette Élan Caspari, Kiara Durbin, Denise Ewers, Benjamin Michael Hall, Jaheim Hugan, Anthony James, Sydney Jaye, Megan Grace Ludwig, Katelyn Murphy, and Dan Rice. The design team includes Montana Carlson, James Kyle Davis, Dylan Dutro and Aaron Kennedy.
Sister Act will run June 2 through June 12. Tickets are available through the Showboat box office, at www.clintonshowboat.org, and by calling 563-242-6760. Season tickets may be purchased through June 12, and allow audiences to see all five of the Showboat’s summer productions at a discount. Visit the company’s website for show dates and times, pricing and box office hours.
The summer season will continue June 16 with Calendar Girls, a funny and feel good play about a women’s club who shocks the world when they decide to make a racy calendar to raise money for the local hospital. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s State Fair, The Wedding Singer, and The World Goes ‘Round will complete the Showboat’s season through August 14.
