Sister Act to play final performance on 26 Aug 2012

The Broadway premiere of the musical comedy Sister Act will play its final performance on 26 Aug 2012. When the show closes it will have played 28 previews and 561 regular performances.

Producer Whoopi Goldberg said, "To hear people laugh and cheer the way they do at Sister Act - a show people think they know but are pleasantly surprised to discover is not what they were expecting - is a magical experience for a producer. Happily, audiences across the country will be able to get in on the fun this fall when Deloris and her fabulous sisters start spreading the love nationwide."

The show opened at the Broadway Theatre on 20 Apr 2011, following previews from 24 Mar 2011, where the show had been selling tickets through to 5 Jan 2013.

The musical opened to mixed reviews: Tame, innocuous and frankly a little dull (NY Times); A feel-good crowd-pleaser worth celebrating (NY Daily News); Plenty of laughter rocks the rafters (Newsroom Jersey).

The musical received five 2011 Tony Award nominations: Best Musical, Best Original Score (Alan Menken (Music)/ Glenn Slater (Lyrics), Best Book of a Musical (Cheri & Bill Steinkellner And Douglas Carter Beane), Best Actress in a Musical (Patina Miller) and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Victoria Clark).

Sister Act: When disco diva Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a murder, she is put in protective custody in the one place the cops are sure she won't be found - a convent! Disguised as a nun she quickly finds fans amongst her fellow 'sisters' but makes the wrong impression on the convent's strict Mother Superior. When she turns her attention to the convent's off-key choir, helping the nuns to find their true voices and breathing new life into the rundown neighbourhood, her cover could be blown for good. With the gang giving chase, is time running out for Deloris? Or have they underestimated the power of her new found Sisterhood?

Sister Act is based on the 1992 film of the same name, and features music by Alan Menken ('Little Shop of Horrors,' 'Beauty and the Beast,' 'The Little Mermaid' and 'Enchanted'), lyrics by Glenn Slater (The Little Mermaid), book by Cheri and Bill Steinkellner ("Cheers").

The Broadway company of Sister Act, directed by Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast, currently features Raven-Symone (Deloris Van Cartier), Carolee Carmello (Mother Superior), Fred Applegate (Monsignor), Sarah Bolt (Sister Mary Patrick), John Treacy Egan (Joey), Demond Green (TJ), Chester Gregory (Eddie), Kingsley Leggs (Curtis), Marla Mindelle (Sister Mary Robert), Audrie Neenan (Sister Mary Lazarus) and Caesar Samayoa (Pablo).'

Sister Act features set design by Klara Zieglerova, costumes by Lez Brotherston, lighting by Natasha Katz and sound by Mick Potter.

The world premiere of Sister Act played at the London Palladium from 7 May 2009 - 30 Oct 2010. The show received generally good notices from the London press: "It's a wimple-wibbling, habit-forming triumph." (Evening Standard); "Sister Act proves more enjoyable on stage than it did on film." (Daily Telegraph); "Highly recommended" (The Stage).