“Sister Act”: Jubilee Theatre production at Bass Hall in Fort Worth delivers joy and more

What happens when an earthly person goes into a Godly place?

The latest production of Jubilee Theatre, the musical “Sister Act,” addresses that topic as it takes the stage at Bass Hall now through Sunday, Aug. 18. It’s the third production in a union with Performing Arts Fort Worth that began in 2021 as theaters were returning from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Based on the 1992 hit film of the same name starring Whoopi Goldberg, the musical has been performed in both London’s West End and Broadway.

Jubilee’s regular venue, just down the street in downtown Fort Worth, holds just under 150 people, but shows like this are certainly worthy of the 2,000-plus audience Bass Hall seats. The capacity crowd’s consistently roaring applause throughout was reinforcement of this.

Jubilee is billed as one of the foremost African-American theaters in the Southwest. While it is indeed that, Jubilee proved once again it is so much more.

This organization is loaded with talent.

The story features a nightclub singer named Deloris Van Cartier (Ayanna Rose in her triumphant return to Jubilee after seven years), who sees her mobster boyfriend Curtis (a delightfully tough Malcom Payne Jr.) kill someone he believes “squealed” on him to the police. Fearing for her own life, Deloris runs to a nearby police station, where she is then placed in witness protection.

Of all places, she is put in a convent, where she fits in about as well as a cow in a marathon. However, before long, she and the real nuns, including the Mother Superior (Kris Black Jasper), begin to realize that a lot about life depends on where a person is, at a certain time.

For example, the lyrics “Take Me to Heaven” are used in three different circumstances in the beginning, middle and end of the show. On each occasion, they convey a different meaning.

Also, no matter our background, there is always something to learn by being in unfamiliar — and even uncomfortable — situations. In the words of Jubilee Theatre’s artistic director D. Wambui Richardson, “You can’t be so religious that someone who doesn’t know God is afraid to talk to you.”

On the other hand, it’s not wise to be so caught up in your own world that you can’t stop and respect what someone else might be saying, even if you don’t find it to your liking.

And, as the show proves, when something is fun, folks tend to pay attention. It’s a great way to deliver a message, something Deloris unwittingly — at first, at least — teaches her “sisters” as she’s also turning them into one of Philadelphia’s top musical acts.

Folks begin flocking to church to see the “Sister Act” of singing nuns as they perform to a host of jovial beats. While they please the crowd, and have Monsignor O’Hara (Peter Radzikevich) dancing, Mother Superior remains staunch in her reluctance.

But, as Deloris states, making church fun is bringing people in and even saving it from closing with all the accompanying donations. All the while, the music is doing more than getting folks to dance in the proverbial aisles, it is creating converts — including Deloris, albeit without realizing.

In one scene Monsignor tells Mother Superior her prayers are being answered, she just may not like the answer. After all, where in scripture does it say that there is a certain formula that God follows to perform his work?

Perhaps the greatest lesson from the show is when Mother Superior tells Deloris that something is evidence of God, Deloris replies that such behavior is only human and Mother Superior responds that it is actually both.

Rose, who last performed with Jubilee in 2017’s “Beehive,” is actually performing for the first time since COVID. She’s absolutely dynamic, and her chemistry with Jasper, who successfully balances the concerned dominance later turned to sensitivity of Mother Superior, is as smooth as jazz on a Saturday night.

The music pops, especially when the nuns and Deloris are belting out songs such as “Sunday Morning Fever” and “Raise Your Voice.” However, there are a host of solo numbers that stand out, such as Deloris’ moving rendition of the title song and Mother Superior’s powerful “Here Within These Walls.” Sister Mary Roberts (Maria Shorunke) delivers a stirring anthem of angst with “The Life I Never Led” and “Sweaty” Eddie Souther (Johnny DeAndre Brown) is simply soulful with “I Could Be That Guy.”

The humor ranges from subtle to zingy. When Deloris asks if there is a smoking section, Mother Superior responds, “Yes, dear, you’re headed straight for it.”

Deloris misquotes the Bible with “Let he who is without sin get stoned first” and she has a hilariously failed attempt at the Lord’s Prayer. Also, when Mother Superior announces the nuns will be performing for His Holyness, one asks “Johnny Carson?”

For those too young to know who Johnny Carson was, Google him or ask your parents — better yet, ask your grandparents. When you watch the likes of Jimmy Kimmel, Steve Colbert, et al, thank Carson for making late night talk shows a thing.

This production of “Sister Act” is equally beneficial to Jubilee and Performing Arts Fort Worth, expanding theater minds to include both companies — two of the finest to be found in North Texas, or anywhere, for that matter.

Performing Arts Fort Worth will, of course, continue to bring a plethora of Broadway-style productions to Bass. Each will undoubtedly be worthy of seeing and absorbing each dazzling moment.

And kudos to Jubilee for delivering a performance worthy of gracing the same stage.

The venues are only a few steps apart, you don’t have to choose. If you love great theater, visit both.

And if you’ve not ever seen a Jubilee production, this is a great one to start.