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07/07/10 - Whoopi Goldberg to perform in West End adaptation of Sister Act
By Maev Kennedy
Actor and comedian agrees to three-week run in stage version of one of her biggest film hits
The US actor, comedian, talkshow host and political activist Whoopi Goldberg is heading for London's West End for the first time to perform for three weeks in the stage musical of one of her biggest film hits, Sister Act.
A year ago, before the show opened at the London Palladium and became a major hit, Goldberg had appeared to rule out any involvement.
In an Interview for The Guardian Newspaper, she said: "I am 112, so I was too old – I also don't sing."
But she has had a change of heart and, a mere 54 years old, will play the Mother Superior in the convent, rather than her original 1992 film role as the cabaret star Deloris van Cartier, who hides among the nuns while on the run from the mob.
She will be in the show from 10-31 August, but will not be performing on Monday 16 or 23 August.
She takes over from Sheila Hancock, who created the Mother Superior role on the West End stage and is now leaving the show.
Goldberg, born Caryn Elaine Johnson, was nicknamed Whoopi after joke shop fart cushions. She explained: "If you get a little gassy, you've got to let it go. So people used to say to me: 'You're like a whoopee cushion'".
She was already a stand-up comedy star, script and songwriter, stage actor and television presenter when Steven Spielberg cast her as the lead in the Colour Purple, adapted from the Pulitzer prize-winning novel by Alice Walker.
Her first film was a major hit, winning her a Golden Globe award and an Oscar nomination. She went on to win an Oscar for Ghost in 1991, and in 2008 became the first black host of the Oscar awards show.
She announced her retirement from acting in 2007, saying nobody ever sent her any good scripts – but that announcement turned out to be a slight exaggeration. "I have slowed it down to a crawl, but not stopped," she later said. "What else would I have done?"
Premier Events specialise in the supply of best stalls or dress circle seats for all forthcoming performances of Sister Act. Should you have a preferred location, please do not hesitate to make your request when reserving your tickets. To book your tickets, please call our dedicated theatre sales desk on 020 7283 4040 or click here.
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
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