I work in commercial radio, so whenever celebrity news breaks, I need to drop what I’m doing – unless I’m feeding a small child; that’s reckless parenting – and write up an article, ready for it to be read on air.
Should Ariana Grande drop a new album, I’ll quickly pen a short piece on it. If Justin Bieber proposes to one of his 2.3 million bits-on-the-side, I’ll email a quick read to a presenter. If Kanye West runs through the streets of Cairo naked, screaming that Ice Age: Collision Course deserves an Oscar, well… I’ve weirdly already written a story for that incident. It just seems like his next logical step.
So when my boss messaged me on Saturday, I expected the worst; that I’d spend the entirety of the day inside writing. Not that he was sat four rows behind me in a church watching a live choir perform I Will Follow Him.
For four days during the month of April, Amacoast Cinema is hosting Sister Act Live Choir at Central Hall Westminster, which features a 35-person choir, and a 30 foot screen, projecting the musical comedy. Nothing tops wondering what happened to Whoopi Goldberg’s eyebrows on a biblically massive screen.
Opening with two guitarists, a drummer, pianist, and four singers, they warmed up the audience by belting out the likes of September and Bill Withers’ Lovely Day, which saw every one up and dancing. I mean, I would have, but my dodgy knee was playing up. Don’t get me wrong – I bopped my head like the best of ’em. And after paying a touching tribute to those involved in the Westminster attack, they played the movie.
The choir sat and watched the film with us – and kudos to them; they still looked like they heard the gags for the first time, even though they sat through Kathy Najimy’s squealing for a total of eight times. The performers really got into character for each song, and it was a nice touch to mute the film during the songs, and pause it for applause. Adele probably won’t be sleeping with one eye open, resting her hand on her baseball bat, in case the choir come to take her place anytime soon, but each performer really gave it their all and looked like they were having a good time, creating one hell of an enjoyable atmosphere for the audience.
Now – on to the film, itself. I know, I know; this review is so late, I wasn’t even conceived when Sister Act was originally released, but what did you really expect when you clicked on an article titled ‘REVIEW: Sister Act’? I watched Sister Act so many times, I honest-to-God broke the DVD, but it wasn’t until re-watching it several years later that I realised – despite how silly the premise is – it is genuinely laugh-out-loud. Don’t believe me? Just listen to the audience at Amacoast Cinema’s screening. The movie features a Reno lounge singer witness her boyfriend commit a mob crime, and is put into witness protection as a nun. It’s harmless, and it stars Whoopi Goldberg, so it’s always going to be one of my guilty pleasures. When it comes to guilty pleasures, it’s up there with eating so many Pringles that I gain enough weight mid-feast to get my hand stuck in the tube.
Amacoast Cinema’s presentation of Sister Act is – to put it simply – two and a half hours of pure, unadulterated fun, seeing people jump up and down, dancing and singing along to a huge, talented choir. Now can you remember a time you popped down to your local Odeon where you had more enjoyment than that?
Plus, I take great pride in thinking I’m probably the only person to have stepped foot in Central Hall Westminster in ripped jeans.
You can still buy tickets to Amacoast Cinema presents Sister Act Live Choir here, and tickets range from £21.80 – £53.24. While I wanna thank Amacoast Cinema for hooking me up with two tickets, you lot better hurry, because it was PACKED during my screening!