Sister Act Houston | Broadway Smash Houston, Texas

Background: Sister Act on Stage and the Hobby Center

The 2013 Houston engagement of Sister Act has long since closed, but the show remains one of the more frequently revived musical comedies of the past two decades, and it is worth knowing where it came from. The stage version is adapted from the 1992 film starring Whoopi Goldberg as Deloris Van Cartier, a nightclub singer who witnesses a crime and is hidden by police in a convent. Disguised as a nun, she turns a struggling choir into a joyful, crowd-pleasing act, and the clash between her showbiz instincts and the convent's quiet discipline drives both the comedy and the heart of the story.

For the stage, composer Alan Menken wrote an entirely new score with lyricist Glenn Slater. Rather than reusing the film's pop and Motown covers, the musical moves the setting to the 1970s and leans into disco and soul, with numbers built for big ensemble moments. Menken is best known for his work on animated classics such as Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, as well as Little Shop of Horrors and Newsies, which helps explain the show's mix of warm melody and theatrical punch.

About the venue

Houston's Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, in the downtown Theater District, hosts touring Broadway productions in its main space, Sarofim Hall, alongside smaller productions in its studio theatre. Touring musicals regularly pass through, so a title that has played there once may well return with a new company.

Catching a future production

• Check official sources for current tours, regional revivals and dates; licensed community and school productions of Sister Act are also common.
• Book ahead for weekend performances, which tend to sell first.
• Plan transport and parking early when visiting a busy theatre district on show nights.

If you are following live theatre and concerts closer to our home base, browse our guide to LA venues or look through the archive for past coverage.