It's all or nun for BCT's 'Sister Act'

Feb. 1—Bakersfield Community Theatre will be singing "Bless Our Show" this weekend when it opens "Sister Act." The lively musical is the first in some time for the South Chester Avenue theater.

Director Jacquie Thompson-Mercer said she was ready to take on a larger musical than BCT normally produces.

She wrote in an email, "We usually do straight plays and occasionally small cast musicals, but in 2019, the board decided we were up for the challenge of a large-scale musical!"

"I love a challenge! Also, the music is really great and something I don't mind hearing and singing for four months."

The music is something that attracted producer Tim Fromm, who noted that the songs from the original 1992 film starring Whoopi Goldberg featured music by Disney veteran Alan Menken.

"This cast is so awesome, I have several favorite numbers," he wrote in an email. "'It's Good to Be a Nun' is a catchy song and sung so well, All of the gangsters' songs, (including) 'Lady in the Long Black Dress' — I think they will steal the show with their numbers. ... Then there is Sister Mary Robert and her numbers are like a Disney princess."

Along with producing the show, Fromm ended up being cast as Monsignor O'Hara, who oversees Queen of Angels Church whose convent is hiding lounge singer Deloris aka Sister Mary Clarence (Candace Freeman) after in a she witnessed a gangland killing involving her ex-boyfriend, Curtis (Adrian Francies).

Being involved directly in the show gives Fromm a unique vantage point.

"When I produce a show I like to be in it — a small part — so I can get a better handle on things that the director needs or if there is a problem with a cast member or if we need to replace/find a cast member," he wrote. "If cast members have issues I can talk to them backstage when I am at a rehearsal and either solve it or bring it up to the director."

This musical features a large cast including Melinda Mejia as Mother Superior and Emily Wisdom, Katie Welch, Ericka Harper, Callie Stein-Wayne, Janice Bondurant, Lori Pauley, Krystle Flynn, Sue Krause, Karri McNeal and Kristen Sanders as the sisters of the convent who find their voices in the choir led by Sister Mary Clarence.

Thompson-Mercer wrote, "The cast of 22 is wonderfully diverse and talented, and they range in age from 17 to 79! Many have never been in a musical, some have done a few shows, and a few are recognizable talents from theatres around town.

"Our common goal was to take the words from the pages and create a fabulous show. They each brought their energy, experiences, and ideas and contributed to the final product."

With new microphones and soundproofing inside the theater, the cast and crew are ready for their eight-show run, which includes an earlier matinee on Super Bowl Sunday in case there are fans of both musical theater and football.

Fromm and Thompson-Mercer both expressed the hope that audiences would come to support the theater and have a good time.

The director wrote, "Know that we want you to enjoy what we have been creating!"

"I hope that their spirit as well as their daily burdens feel lifted by the show's end, and that they can look on their fellow person with friendliness, acceptance, and forgiveness," she continued. "Love and an open heart can conquer and solve the most difficult of dilemmas."

Stefani Dias can be reached at 661-395-7488. Follow her on Twitter at @realstefanidias.