WHOOPI Goldberg, Maggie Smith and co left some big shoes to fill after the huge success of the Sister Act movie 25 years ago.

But the members of the Savoy Musical Theatre Group in Helensburgh followed in those stars’ footsteps in style when they brought the stage version of the hit film to life at the Victoria Halls.

Packed audiences filled the venue for the Savoy’s annual show – always an eagerly-awaited feature of Helensburgh’s autumn calendar – and the cast, crew and production team’s efforts over four nights and one matinee made sure no-one who came along to see the show left disappointed.

Pauline Forrest, the Savoy’s secretary, said: “This year’s production was an outstanding success.

“It was an ambitious show to stage and involved a great deal of hard work for all the cast.

“Every performance had excellent audience numbers with Thursday near to capacity and Friday being completely sold out.

“This is very encouraging for the club as a good audience attendance plays a huge part in the performance of any show.

“After weeks of rehearsal it can be such a let-down not to have the support of the community and, as shows are expensive to stage, good ticket sales are critical.”

The musical numbers in the stage show are very different to those in that 1992 film, meaning anyone familiar only with the silver screen version made lots of new musical discoveries in the course of the Helensburgh show.

This year’s production was led by Claire Love, directing her first Savoy show, musical director Pamela Frew, drawing on her experience as Hermitage Academy music teacher, and Burgh dance teacher Claire Burns as choreographer, assisted by Joanne Trainer.

The backstage crew was led by Helen Duda, with the help of Euan Forrest and a team of ‘men in black’, while Celia Cameron, in charge of sourcing and organising props, was described by Pauline as “the club’s secret weapon when it comes to sourcing unusual things”.

On the stage, in costumes hired from That Looks Good in Paisley, Kirsty McLaren starred as Deloris Van Cartier alongside her ‘convent’ team of Elise McLean as Mother Superior, Isla McAlpine as Sister Mary Robert, Graham Phillips as Monsignor O’Hara and Rosalind Phillips as Sister Mary Patrick.

The principal roles were completed by Brian Sayer as club owner, gangster, philanderer and general all-round slimeball Curtis Shank, and Kenny McLean as Sweaty Eddie, the police desk sergeant who’s in love with Deloris.

Feedback from audiences included “best amateur show I’ve seen”, “phenomenal talent”, “such a talented team both on and off the stage” and “best Savoy show to date!”.

Pauline added: “All of the cast and production team had such a fantastic time doing this show and we would like to thank our audiences for their support and wonderful comments.

“We hope to see them all back again next year.”

* Photos by Martin Windebank and reproduced with permission.