Sister act is sound success

Sister Mary McArthur Comin' At-Cha!
Jermyn Street Theatre, SW1
***

Actor and cabaret artist Tim McArthur has spent four years developing his loose moralled nun Sister Mary, who dreams of West End stardom. Hence the first half of this show - part day-in-the-life, part whistlestop tour through Mary's life story - is a sound success.

There's plenty of comic timing at work as fleet-of-foot Mary muses on Elaine Page being her mother, sings Memory from Cats (with James Adler on piano) and duly forgets the words. By the end, there's a rendition of Mamma Mia involving the inspired use of a triangle. What might be crass and cheesy is infectious fun.

In part two, McArthur gets more experimental, relying heavily on audio-visual skits and working in nightlychanging special guests. There's a pre-recorded sketch with How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? runner-up Helena Blackman, a 'guide' to West End theatre, a chat showstyle effort where 'guests' are interviewed, and a game show.

It's a disjointed and chaotic mix: no wonder McArthur's cohorts last Wednesday night, cabaret duo Topping & Butch, looked mildly bemused. For future shows, it's the turn of Helen Lederer, Tony Slattery and Eurovision losers Scooch.

No doubt McArthur will tidy this up in due course; for now, he has a show with enormous potential whose two halves are out of key.

Until June 9, Jermyn Street Theatre, 16b Jermyn Street SW1, Tue to Sat 7pm, Sat and Sun mats 3pm, £16, £13 concs. Tel: 020 7287 2875. Tube: Piccadilly Circus

Jermyn Street Theatre