Nuns rock out in 'Sister Act' at Tucson's Arizona Repertory Theatre

When the 1992 movie “Sister Act” was a hit, we all knew it was just a matter of time before there would be a Broadway musical, right?

And there was one, though it took awhile: “Sister Act” hit the stage in 2006. And landed itself a Tony nomination.

On Oct. 14, the University of Arizona’s Arizona Repertory Theatre opens previews of the musical.

It follows the same storyline as the movie: A flashy lounge singer, Deloris, witnesses her gangster boyfriend kill somebody, so she hides out in a convent until she can testify against him. While there, she transforms the choir into one good enough to play for the pope, learns a few lessons and makes lots of friends along the way.

But there are some differences: The story has been moved from 1960s Reno, Nevada, and San Francisco to Philadelphia in the ’70s, smack-dab in the middle of the disco area.

And the biggest change: The ’60s standards such as “I Will Follow Him” and “Rescue Me” are out, replaced with new tunes by Alan Menken (“The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast”).

You may think the story skims the surface. Not so, says choreographer and director Christie Kerr.

“It’s a lot more than singing nuns,” she says. “We’ve taken the approach that it’s about a sisterhood, her influence on the nuns, how they learn more about acceptance and the outside world. And she learns to trust.”

Kerr has acted, directed and choreographed around the country, but this will be her first directing gig at the UA since she began teaching at the theater school three years ago.

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As if that weren’t pressure enough, she’s choreographing, too.

And both are big jobs.

“There are 24 people in the cast,” she says. “But I’m used to dealing with big crowds (on stage).”

She is intent on making sure the musical avoids being cartoonish, and has something to say to audiences. Which is why she and the student cast members spent a lot of time fleshing out characters that resonate.

They are “honest, real people,” she says.

And given that nuns are central to the story, they’ve spent time discussing spirituality in an effort to deepen their connections — and the audiences’ — to the play.

“It’s not a religious show, but there’s an element of a higher power to it, so we delved into that.”

She’s hoping the audience comes away with a little more than those singing nuns.

“I would love the audience to take the joy and honesty of these characters,” she says. “And take the chance to look at relationships and not take them for granted, and not size people up by how they look or dress. To realize there’s more inside to them.”