‘Sister Act’ sings its way to Mayo PAC
Actors often lament that some roles will forever be associated with particular performers.
Anyone who plays the King in “The King and I” does so in the shadow of Yul Brynner. Julie Andrews created the definitive Maria in “The Sound of Music.” Almost every Henry Higgins will be compared to Rex Harrison.
But Kerissa Arrington says she has no qualms about playing nightclub singer Deloris Van Cartier, a role created by the singular Whoopi Goldberg.
Arringon is starring in the touring company of “Sister Act,” the musical adaptation of the 1992 film. The production comes to the Mayo Performing Arts Center for three performances on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.
Deloris runs afoul of her gangster ex-boyfriend and must hide as a nun as part of a witness protection program. She boosts the fortunes of the struggling convent when she takes over the sisters’ choir, but she still has to dodge her boyfriend’s goons.
Goldberg memorably played Deloris in both the original “Sister Act” film and its 1993 sequel. But Arrington feels that she is able to put her own spin on Deloris, without resorting to a Goldberg variation.
“I’m not doing Whoopi. I can’t,” says Arrington. “In the movie, Deloris is less of a singing part. But in the musical, she’s singing for two hours straight.”
“Whoopi is the Deloris everyone looks up to,” Arrington says. “I know how she says certain lines, but it’s interesting for me as an actress to take Deloris to different places.”
Arrington says she is aided in that journey by the songs in “Sister Act,” which were written by Oscar-winning composer Alan Mencken (“The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast”) and lyricist Glenn Slater.
Unlike the movie, the musical of “Sister Act” is set in the 1970s. “So the music has that funk feel to it,” Arrington says. “The nuns and the thugs all have great songs. The characters are the same ones that people love from the movie.”
The center of the story, though, is the dynamic character of Deloris, according to Arrington. “Playing her is such a treat,” she says. “She goes through such a dramatic change, from boozing to directing a church choir. That’s what I enjoy.”
Arrington grew up in Houston. Though she never studied music formally, she sang in church choirs since she was a student in middle school.
In addition, she says that she has always enjoyed musical theater. She remembers playing Dorothy in her high school production of “The Wizard of Oz.” “I was the only African-American in the cast,” she says.
She earned a degree in psychology from the nursing school at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Two days after graduation, on the suggestion of a friend, she attended the open call for the touring company of “Sister Act.”
“What were the chances I’d get the part? I’m so happy that there were people who believed in me,” she says. The tour began this past October.
Arrington says she is turning to singers such as Mariah Carey, Patti LaBelle, and the late Whitney Houston as inspiration for playing Deloris.
She is joined on stage by four performers from New Jersey. Lawrence Dandridge is from Newark. Nicholas Alexander Rodriguez (Bordentown), Wonu Ogunfowora (Edison), and Tara Tagliaferro (New Brunswick) attended Montclair State University.
Arrington feels that both the movie and the musical “Sister Act” appeal to audiences because of the positive message of the story.
“People respond to the transformations in the characters,” she says. “Deloris becomes a different person. She’s able to soften the Mother Superior, and that’s a magical moment.”
Ultimately, “Sister Act” is the story of redemption, Arrington concludes. “This is a story of what God can do.”
“SISTER ACT”
WHAT: A nightclub singer exchanges bad habits (boozing, bad choices in men) for a habit of a different sort when she must masquerade as a nun to escape gangsters. The musical version of the 1992 comedy features songs by Alan Mencken (“The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast”) and Glenn Slater.
WHEN: 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31; 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 1
WHERE: Mayo Performing Arts Center, 100 South St., Morristown
TICKETS: $39 to $79