Sister Act’s message of sisterhood still resonates – and so does its new lead

SARAHLOUISE Younger has spent years building a career in supporting roles. In Sister Act, she steps into the lead for the first time. The Ballarat Academy of Performing Arts graduate will this month take on Deloris Van Cartier, the role made famous by Whoopi Goldberg in 1992.

“It’s a great honour to take on such a big role in such an iconic show,” she said.

“I wouldn’t have expected at this age to be able to even go for a leading role.”

Now in her 40s, Younger said the opportunity reflects how the industry has shifted.

“In the early 2000s, it was very much about what you look like, you could play and there wasn’t a lot of roles for women of colour to be in leading roles,” she said.

“It’s just so great to be able to represent that and take on her story – and that’s also what I love about this show: Deloris gets an incredible story.”

Presented by Footlight Productions, the Geelong run is also significant: it is the first time the musical has been staged outside of a national tour.

For Younger, it places added attention on a role already associated with major performers like Cynthia Erivo – who became a household name for her performance as Elphaba in the film adaptation of Wicked – and former Australian Idol winner Casey Donovan.

 

“No pressure,” Younger said, laughing.

The story follows Deloris, a nightclub singer, who is forced into hiding in a convent after witnessing a crime. Disguised as a nun, she clashes with the strict Mother Superior before gradually finding her place among the women around her.

“[Deloris is] the quintessential performer,” Younger said. “She just spends the entire time hustling to be seen for her talent and for the star that she is.

“She spends pretty much until the end of the show not realising that she has been seen and been loved by this incredible group of women – the nuns – who see her completely for who she is, stripped back in the habit with none of her glitz and glam.”

But the role, Younger said, can’t be separated from the time in which it is set.

“Women of colour, in that timeframe, felt they had to put on an act in order to be considered good enough,” she said.

“They couldn’t just simply exist. They had to be a star or be a celebrity or be the best at something.”

That tension sits alongside the relationships that form inside the convent.

“She comes in with this very different energy and she shakes things up and she brings a fresh perspective to the sisters, who also give her something back,” Younger said.

 

“They’re like two sides of the same coin.”

It’s that exchange – between Deloris and the nuns — that Younger believes gives the show its staying power beyond the comedy and spectacle.

Its themes of friendship, sisterhood and self-acceptance continue to resonate.

“You don’t have to be loud all the time,” Younger said. “That’s the lesson to be found – you can exist in quiet, and you can exist in authenticity with others around you who love you.”

The role itself is demanding. Deloris is rarely off stage, navigating a fast-moving script and a score that shifts from gospel to disco.

“It’s honestly one of the best scripts and scores I’ve ever worked with,” Younger said. “It’s so intricate.”

The preparation has been intensive.

Every actor has their own process, Younger said, but hers has involved months with the script, including a period where she cut out all other music to focus solely on the show.

The aim is to make it instinctive.

“Once you’re on stage and all these people are looking at you, you can feel that pressure to really make sure that they’re having a good time,” Younger said.

 

“The nerves kick in ever so slightly, the adrenaline.

“But if I’m really secure, I just hope my subconscious can take over and deliver the work.”

Younger said working opposite the ensemble has been one of the highlights of the production.

“The group of women playing the nuns, particularly Mother Superior – which is played by Jenny Callaway – are just some of the most incredible actors I’ve ever worked with,” she said.

“They’re so authentic. They’re hilarious the way they can just throw things out there and it just lands. Half the time I have to stop myself from laughing.”

That sense of energy carries into the audience.

“The audience can sit back and take it in, but there will be moments where we’re like, ‘Hey, do you want to clap now? Do you want to cheer now? What do you say?” Younger said.

“We invite all that in. The audience is the congregation and they’re as much a part of the show as the people on stage.”

Sister Act runs at Geelong Arts Centre until 9 May.