WATCH: Sister Act promises joyous night out as it heads to the south coast

“It’s just such a joyous show, the music and the story and the whole thing about finding a community and finding where you belong in life. I think everyone can relate to that.”

Based on the iconic movie, the show promises a sparkling tribute to the universal power of friendship, sisterhood and music in the shape of the hilarious story of a disco diva whose life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a murder. Under protective custody she is hidden in the one place she won’t be found – a convent. Disguised as a nun and under the suspicious watch of Mother Superior, Deloris helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own.

“She is just so much fun to play. Of course you've got Whoopi Goldberg's amazing example to follow (from the film). My sense of humour is different to hers but you can't help but think of her because she was the one that really made Deloris such a lovable and warm character.

“Deloris has got a lot of heart but she has spent her whole life thinking that to be successful she needs to be as famous as her idol Donna Summer, that she needs to have adoring fans and the fame and fortune the glamour and all the stuff that goes with it... and then she ends up in this convent but when she's there she learns to be part of a community and she learns how to receive love from the community and she realises that these are the things that really matter in life. She goes back to that sense of regime and the strictness she had at school and that it was so restricting to her personality and it shocks her when she has to put on a habit and that she has to dress in a certain way. She feels that it is stripping of her of her identity and she doesn't like it. But she learns about community and she also gives something to the nuns. She encourages the other nuns to feel empowered and to be recognised for their own voices, not just to sing but also their personalities and she helps them find their joy.

“We went out on tour in September. We opened in Manchester and we've had an amazing response from people. And I won’t ever take that for granted. But I do think that people need a bit of joy in their lives because there's just so much going on right now. They need that escapism. I don't think the theatre is fully back to normal but it's not so much us being post pandemic as the fact that we are now in a cost of living crisis, and my personal view is that I very much appreciate every face that I see in the audience. I know more than ever that the cost of theatre tickets can seem dear when there is so much pressure on people's money. I just really appreciate the fact that people have chosen to spend their money to come and see this show. But they will be rewarded. They will enjoy a really fabulous joyous evening.”