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(Posted March 15, 2018)
St.
Peter production of Sister Act hits all the right
notes
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
During
my 30-year career as a local journalist in Orléans, I've
had the good fortune to attend a number of high school theatre
productions that I might not otherwise have attended.
In
some cases I was more fortunate than others. Some of the
more memorable productions include Tarzan: The Musical
and Beauty and the Beast at St. Peter High School;
and Alice in Wonderland at Sir Wilfrid Laurier
Secondary School. You can now add the latest St. Peter
Theatre production of Sister Act to that list.
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Dilores
Van Cartier, played by Anita Ofili. leads the nuns through one of their numbers during the St. Peter production of Sister Act. Fred
Sherwin/Photo
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Performed
over a three-night engagement at the Shenkman Arts Centre
earlier this month, Sister Act was wildly enter-taining
thanks to the wonderful cast and uproariously funny thanks
to the original script written by Joseph Howard.
Now,
before I get into the meat of my review I must admit that
I had never seen Sister Act � neither the movie
starring Whoopi Goldberg, nor the play.
So
I guess you could say that I went to the St. Peter production
with a fresh set of eyes and ears.
The
script is peppered with one liners from beginning to end
and the music is catchy and infectious. But even with
a great script, plenty of one-liners and catchy songs,
you still need a talented cast to bring them to life,
and the St. Peter players did not disappoint, starting
with Anita Ofili who played the lead character made famous
by Goldberg.
Ofili
filled the stage with her immense talent every time she
stepped into the spotlight. The Grade 12 student possesses
that unique combination of a great voice and the ability
to make people laugh. Other notable performances were
delivered by Anna Dale who played the Mother Superior
and had, what to my ears, was the strongest voice in the
cast. I absolutely loved her solo performance of Haven't
Got A Prayer.
Jason Kokkovas was also very strong as Lt. "Sweaty Eddie�
Souther, and Sydney Maloney almost stole the show as the
incredibly perky Sister Mary Patrick. She was witty, clever
and stood out among a cast of 25. That said, the entire
ensemble was very strong, especially during numbers like
Here Within These Walls, It's Good to Be A Nun,
and Raise Your Voice.
One
of the things that make St. Peter productions so entertaining
is the music provided by a live orchestra made up of current
and former Ottawa Catholic School Board teachers under
the direction of Lisa Concessi McLean.
This
was the first year that St. Peter has staged their production
in the Richcraft Theatre and the orchestra was situated
in a pit between the audience and the stage, making the
experience much more intimate.
Kudos
to drama teacher/director Bernard Leger and the entire
cast and crew for delivering such an entertaining and
memorable production. For
more informartion visit www.paquetteproductions.com/shows
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
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THE OTTAWA SCHOOL OF THEATRE presents an all ages production of Treasure Island in the Richcraft Theatre at the Shenkman Arts Centre. Showtimes Thursday, April 18 and Friday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tickets $20 for adults. Students and youth 25 and under $10. To purchase visit 
TAPROOM 260 presents Michael Ben-Shalom live from 8-11 p.m. at 260 Centrum Blvd. For more information visit 
TAPROOM 260 presents The Underground live from 8-11 p.m. at 260 Centrum Blvd. For more information visit 
CLASSIC PIANO RECITAL – Orléans pianist Emily Hou will be performing works by Chopin, Mozart, Rachmaninov and Liszt at Kanata United Church as part os the Beaverbrook Community Concert Series. The recital will start promptly at 3 p.m. Kanata United Church is located at 33 Leacock Dr. in Kanata. For more information visit 
THE ORLÉANS BREWING CO. Trivia Night from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Call (613) 834-9005 to reserve your spot. The Orléans Brewing Co. is located at 4380 Innes Rd. near the Innes Road McDonalds.
