Birds of a Feather star Lesley Joseph plays Mother Superior in 'joyous musical' Sister Act touring to Sheffield

West End star Lesley is treading the boards in Sister Act which is touring to Sheffield Lyceum Theatre from April 4 to 15, 2023.

The cast is led by former Emmerdale actress Sandra Marvin who plays Deloris, a nun on the run who seeks refuge in a convent where she helps members of a struggling choir find their true voices.

Lesley is cast as the Mother Superior in the musical which features songs inspired by Motown, soul and disco. She said: “Mother Superior who runs the convent is a very religious person, and suddenly into her world comes this woman who is a singer, who wears short skirts, who’s full of bling and very over the top. You need the two extremes to rub up against one another, and quite a lot of sparks fly.

“The musical doesn’t have the music from the film, but it’s Alan Menken’s music – who is a genius. He’s been to see our show twice and loved it! I think people love the production because of the great music. The audience responses so far have made me feel like we’re doing a pop concert.

"My favourite song is one that Mother Superior has called ‘Here Within These Walls’ where she describes what life is like in the convent, and how the outside world is full of sin, but inside you find God and you find yourself. It’s a beautiful number, but probably the most serious number in the show to an extent.

"The other number I love is when Deloris first takes over the choir and she teaches them to sing and brings out their voices. It’s called ‘Raise Your Voice’. Up until then you’ve only heard the nuns sing very badly. It stops the show! The audience just go wild.

“We were playing in London to 3,000 people per night, with every show packed full of people waving their arms in the air at the end and just having a fantastic time.

"It’s an absolutely joyous musical. You leave feeling so uplifted."

Tickets for Sister Act start at £15. Go to www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk