Sister Act
A Divine Musical ComedyAugust 14 – 20
Based on the smash hit film, Sister Act is a heavenly musical comedy that proves nothing can stand in the way of sisterhood! Disco diva Deloris dreams of fame and fortune, but is she prepared for the way she receives it? Songs inspired by Motown, soul and disco, including “Take Me to Heaven,” “Fabulous, Baby!,” and “Raise Your Voice,” this score is sure to raise your spirits. The grand finale to the Muny season promises to be divine!
Performances begin at 8:15pm
Running Time: 2:25 Including Intermission
CAST
BRYONHA MARIE
Deloris Van Cartier
Muny: The Sound of Music (Mother Abbess) and A Little Sondheim Music (Powell Hall). Broadway: Prince of Broadway, The Book of Mormon, After Midnight, The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Ragtime. Off-Broadway/NY: Promenade (NY City Center Encores!), Candide (Carnegie Hall), NY Philharmonic’s Show Boat and Sweeney Todd (Beggar Woman), Ragtime (Lincoln Center). Tour: Falsettos. World premiere: Dave (Arena Stage, 2019 Helen Hayes nominee), Prince of Broadway (Tokyo Orb). A 2022 Jeff nominee for her performance in Life After, Bryonha has appeared regionally, most recently as Mrs. Lovett in the Signature Theatre production of Sweeney Todd, directed by Sarna Lapine, The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (ART), Ragtime (Kennedy Center), The Civil War (NETworks), Hair (Broadway Sacramento), Dreamgirls (Effie White, North Shore), Little Shop of Horrors (Berkshire Theatre Group) and many more. TV: The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage!; Madam Secretary, Show Boat and Sweeney Todd (Live from Lincoln Center).
MAMIE PARRIS
Mother Superior
Muny: Paint Your Wagon (Cayla Woodling), Hello, Dolly! (Irene Molloy) and Joseph… Dreamcoat (Narrator). On Broadway, Mamie is perhaps best known for her iconic rendition of Memory from the recent revival of Cats. Other Broadway: School of Rock, Ragtime, The Drowsy Chaperone, On The 20th Century and 110 in the Shade. Off-Broadway: Anything Can Happen in The Theater (plus cast album), Pump Boys and Dinettes (Prudie). Tours: Wicked (Elphaba), 9 to 5 (Judy), Legally Blonde. Regional: Paper Mill Playhouse, Arena Stage, The Old Globe, Goodspeed, Pittsburgh CLO and more. Film/TV: A Standup Guy, State of Affairs, The Blacklist and The PBS Great Performances 50th Anniversary special. Audiobook narrator and lauded symphony soloist.
JAMES T. LANE
Eddie Souther
is from Philadelphia. Muny: Chicago (Billy Flynn), Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Sebastian). West End: The Scottsboro Boys, A Chorus Line. Broadway: Chicago (Billy Flynn), Kiss Me, Kate (Paul), King Kong, The Scottsboro Boys (Ozie Powell/Ruby Bates), A Chorus Line (Richie Walters). National tours: Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations (Paul Williams), Jersey Boys. Regional: Guys and Dolls (Nicely-Nicely Johnson), Mary Poppins (Bert), The Wiz (Tin Man) and more. Lane also created and performed in Triple Threat, a “play that moves and sings.”
ALAN H. GREEN
Curtis Jackson
Broadway: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, School of Rock, Sister Act and Play On! Original Cast Albums include his Broadway shows as well as Broadway Bounty Hunter, Freaky Friday and Carols for a Cure. First national tours: 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Swing!; Smokey Joe’s Cafe. International: Miss Saigon (sung in German). Recent Regional: The Griswold’s Broadway Vacation (5th Avenue Theatre), The Karate Kid (Stages St. Louis), A.D. 16 (Olney Theatre). TV: Almost Family, Unforgettable, Murphy Brown, 30 Rock, Peter Pan Live!; Law & Order: SVU; Guiding Light and lots of national commercials. Awards: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical (Berkie), Best Performer in a Streamed Musical (BroadwayWorld). BA in Vocal Performance from Rice University. Board Member and Associate Artist at Barrington Stage Company.
THOM SESMA
Monsignor O’Hara
made his Muny debut in 2013 as Jafar in Disney’s Aladdin. He has numerous credits at Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, where he appeared in Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Dinner with Friends and where he directed Life (x) 3. Elsewhere, he was most recently seen in Oliver! (New York City Center Encores!), followed by the world premiere production of Madeline Myers’ Double Helix (Bay Street Theatre, Sag Harbor, NY). Other recent New York credits include A Man of No Importance (Classic Stage Company), Letters of Suresh (Second Stage, Lortel Award nomination), Unknown Soldier (Playwrights Horizons) and Ghosts (Williamstown/Seattle Rep). Broadway/National tour credits include: The Times They Are A-Changin’; Disney’s The Lion King, Titanic, Miss Saigon, Man of La Mancha, Search and Destroy, Nick & Nora. Select TV credits: Instinct, The Good Wife, Madam Secretary, Gotham, Jessica Jones.
MEREDITH ALEIGHA WELLS
Sister Mary Robert
made their national tour debut in Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, marking the first performance in a Broadway national tour by a wheelchair user. They have also toured their original one-person musical Dysfunctioning Just Fine (Purple Skies Playwright Award) across the northeast. Off-Broadway: Various readings with New York Theatre Workshop. Regional: Teenage Dick (Buck, Seattle Rep), Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Atina, Music Theater Works), Blue Roses (Laura Wingfield, Rec Room Arts), Shrek (Ugly Duckling, Beck Center) and Cleveland Public Theatre. Other appearances include Dance St. Louis, CounterBalance, OhioDance Festival, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Playhouse Square, Ailey Citigroup Theater, The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the Luminous Festival in Beijing, China. In 2020, Meredith started their newsletter, Message in a Bottle, where they continue to spread chronic illness awareness and help others through sharing their experience as a queer disabled performer.
MADELEINE DOHERTY
Sister Mary Lazarus
Broadway: Les Misérables (Ensemble, u/s Madame Thenardier, dance captain), A Christmas Carol (Char Woman, original cast), The Producers (Hold Me Touch Me, original cast), Sister Act (Sister Mary Teresa, original cast), Gigi (u/s Mamita/Alicia, original cast/revival), Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (Grandma Georgina, original cast). Off-Broadway: Romance, Romance (original cast), A Time for Singing (York Theatre). Six national tours, over 50 regional theatres, one son, one grandson, four step-kids, five step-grandkids, one dog and three unions.
KATY GERAGHTY
Sister Mary Patrick
was most recently seen as Little Red in Into the Woods on Broadway as well as the national tour. Other Broadway credits include the original cast of Groundhog Day, as well as the pre-Broadway run of & Juliet in Toronto. Select Regional: Hairspray (Tracy Turnblad), Bliss (Princess Carmella, world premiere, 5th Avenue), Shrek (Gingy). TV: Modern Love and Sing It On.
ROB COLLETTI
Joey
Muny debut! Rob recently starred as Lester Bangs in the Tony-nominated production of Almost Famous on Broadway. He played Elder Cunningham in the Broadway, national tour and Chicago productions of The Book of Mormon and also originated the starring role of Dewey Finn in the School of Rock first national tour (which garnered him an LA Scenie Award for “Best Lead Actor in a Touring Production” at the world-famous Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles). Regional: The Old Globe, The Kennedy Center, The Second City, The New Theatre, American Theater Company, Circle Theatre, many others. Film/TV: The Many Saints of Newark (Warner Bros/HBO Films), Just Roll With It (ABC/Disney). Rob trained at The Second City in Chicago, holds a BA in Acting from Columbia College, and is currently a master’s candidate at Harvard University.
BRANDON ESPINOZA
Pablo
Muny: Grease (Danny Zuko, Director/Choreographer: Denis Jones). Broadway: SpongeBob SquarePants, Tuck Everlasting, Gypsy, Big, Les Misérables, The Will Rogers Follies. Off-Broadway: The Visitor (Public Theater), Substitution (Playwrights Realm), Scarcity (Atlantic Theater Company), Tea and Sympathy (Keen Company), Captains Courageous (Manhattan Theater Club; Drama League honoree/nominee). Regional: The Rembrandt (TheaterWorks Hartford), Anna in the Tropics (Director/Playwright: Nilo Cruz, Miami New Drama, 20th anniversary production), On Your Feet! (Paper Mill Playhouse), The Way of the World (Director/Playwright: Theresa Rebeck; Folger Theatre), A View from the Bridge (Director: Ivo van Hove; Goodman Theatre). Current TV: Power Book III: Raising Kanan (Detective Garcia, Starz). Other TV: The Blacklist (NBC), Law & Order: Organized Crime (NBC), The Equalizer (CBS), FBI (CBS), The Leftovers (HBO), The Following (Fox), The Mysteries of Laura (NBC), The Carrie Diaries (CW).
DARRON HAYES
TJ
Muny: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He recently returned home to the states after playing Pharus in the Australian Premiere of Choir Boy. Australian Theatre: The National Theatre of Parramatta. Off-Broadway/New York: The Gospel According to Heather, Notes from Now, Love Around the Block. Regional: Asolo Repertory Theatre, Music Theatre Wichita, Two River Theater, New London Barn Playhouse, and JAG Productions where he premiered in the first ever all-Black Production of Next to Normal. University of North Carolina School of the Arts 2017. Penn State Musical Theatre 2021.
MELANIE LOREN
Standby for Deloris Van Cartier
is pleased to return to The Muny, having previously appeared in The Color Purple. Regional: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Huntington Theatre Company), Little Shop of Horrors (Drury Lane), Raisin (Skylight Music Theatre), The First Deep Breath (Victory Gardens Theater), Pump Boys and Dinettes (Porchlight Music Theatre). Film/ TV: Undercover Brother 2, Sprung, Chicago Med, APB and The Chi. Black Theater Alliance Award recipient. Instagram: @iammellodrama Facebook: MELLOdrama
Ensemble
LEXI BALDACHINO, COLLIN J. BRADLEY, MICHELE BURDETTE ELMORE, BRADY FOLEY, TALYA GROVES, NIGEL JAMAL HALL, AUSTIN WONG HARPER, ANITA JACKSON, ZAKEYIA LACEY, JANNA LINAE, KAITLYN MAYSE, ADELINA MITCHELL, LIZZ PICINI, AMBER ALEXANDRIA ROSE, RONAN RYAN, GORDON SEMEATU, CAMERON MONROE THOMAS and REBECCA YOUNG
CREATIVE TEAM
DENIS JONES
Director/Choreographer
is excited to return to The Muny after 2022’s production of Chicago (St. Louis Theater Circle Awards for Outstanding Musical/Director/Choreographer). A veteran of 10 Muny productions, Denis is also a two-time Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominee. His work has been seen in Broadway’s Tootsie, Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn and Honeymoon in Vegas. Other recent credits include Guys and Dolls (Kennedy Center), Hello, Dolly! (Marriott Theatre), Eurydice (Metropolitan Opera), Chasing Rainbows (Paper Mill Playhouse), A Chorus Line (Signature Theatre), The Flamingo Kid (Hartford Stage), Call Me Madam, Paint Your Wagon (New York City Center Encores!) and The Music Man (Goodman Theatre).
MICHAEL HORSLEY
Music Director/Conductor
is the music supervisor for The Muny and the music director for the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Broadway: Chicago, Seussical. National tours: White Christmas, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Chicago (with Chita Rivera and Ben Vereen), 42nd Street, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Solo concerts for Lee Roy Reams, Judy Kaye, Luci Arnaz, Shirley Jones, Karen Mason and Tovah Feldshuh. Vocal direction: Detroit Symphony (holiday concert series), National Symphony and Birmingham Symphony. Select Regional: Roman Holiday (Guthrie Theater), White Christmas (Boston’s Wang Theatre, Detroit’s Fox Theatre and Toronto’s Sony Center), On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (Music Theatre Wichita), Fiddler on the Roof (American Musical Theatre of San Jose), A Chorus Line (Pioneer Theatre) and The Full Monty (North Carolina Theatre).
BARRY BUSBY
Associate Choreographer
Broadway: Honeymoon in Vegas, Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn, Sunset Boulevard starring Glenn Close,
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Glenn Slater
Book by Cheri Steinkellner & Bill Steinkellner
Additional Book Material by Douglas Carter Beane
Based on the Touchstone Pictures Motion Picture, Sister Act, written by Joseph Howard