Casey Donovan stars as Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act the musical, in a role made famous by Whoopi Goldberg

The 1992 film Sister Act starring Whoopi Goldberg as Deloris Van Cartier and its 1993 sequel Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, in which Lauryn Hill stars as high school student Rita Wilson, were cult classics that Casey Donovan grew up watching.

“Oh, gosh, yeah, that was my childhood,” Donovan told ABC News.

“They’re the movies I grew up watching. And I just absolutely love Whoopi, and I think she’s an amazing actor, and just her wittiness and hilarity and front footedness that she gives Deloris is, yeah, it’s quirky and fun and joyful to try and get that out of me.”

Donovan takes on the role of Deloris in Sister Act the musical, which is currently playing at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney.

“I hope I’m doing Deloris proud and also, Whoopi,” Donovan said.

Deloris is a disco diva, who is placed under protective custody after witnessing a murder. She’s hidden in the one place she shouldn’t be found – a convent – where she poses as Sister Mary Clarence, taking leadership of the struggling choir and helping her fellow sisters find their true voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own.

Donovan, the Indigenous double and triple platinum-selling recording artist who in 2004 aged 16 was the youngest winner of Australian Idol and whose theatrical productions include The Sapphires, Rent, Chicago, and 9 to 5, is relishing playing the lead role of Deloris.

“I like to think when I’m going on stage every night, she kind of takes the wheel as soon as that curtain goes up,” Donovan said.

“Casey is just merely the vessel.”

Donovan left her role as Angelique in & Juliet a month early so she could play Deloris.

She’s been doing musicals for about 12 years, but this is her first lead role.

“She’s a joy to play and to see her soft side and her vulnerabilities once she gets into the convent,” Donovan says.

“She’s this loud-mouth soul singer that just wants to be famous, and at the end of the day, she finds solace with her sisters in a convent.

“They listen to her, and they protect her, and they’re her true friends by the end of it.

“It’s such a beautiful arc that she gets. She finally gets that stardom where she never thought she’d ever have it. And it’s in a convent!”

Making the role her own

Donovan was conscious of making the role her own and putting her own unique stamp on it.

“With these big roles and having [someone] like Whoopi play Deloris Van Cartier, trying to fill those shoes is a massive thing,” Donovan said.

“So, the one thing I love is bringing myself to a role and seeing what I can also bring with the light and shade.

“I get to play this role for nine months. So, it’s with me for a long time. So, you want to make it as comfortable and as joyful as you possibly can.”

The recently engaged Donovan was born in Bankstown in south-west Sydney, and although she lives in Melbourne now, her schedule is such that she hasn’t been home in 12 months.

“Melbourne’s up next, so I can’t wait to get home and just nest for a few minutes before I have to pack another bag and g-o,” she said.

Joining Donovan on stage is Genevieve Lemon as Mother Superior (The Power of the Dog, The Piano, Sweetie) and Rhonda Burchmore (Love Child, Hairspray, Mamma Mia!) plays Sister Mary Lazarus.

“There’s no hidden message or agenda in this this show,” Donovan said.

“It’s fun, it’s joyful, it’s silly, and it’s full of a powerhouse cast.”

Why is the music different?

Although the show will be nostalgic for those who grew up in the 1990s, the incredible movie soundtrack is missing.

Gone are the spins that the nuns put on songs like My Guy (My God) and I Will Follow Him.

This was quite deliberate.

Tony and eight-time Oscar award-winner Alan Menken (Disney’s Aladdin, Enchanted, The Little Mermaid) composed new songs for the musical with lyrics by Glenn Slater.

“The music in the movies actually was just song parodies,” Menken says in a video publicising the musical, which has also appeared on Broadway and London’s West End.

“People think of it as a musical, but the fact is, those were pre-existing songs where the lyrics were just kind of bent a little bit to fit the nuns.”

Some would argue that that was the joy in it, however.

Donovan says the new tunes are a fitting accompaniment to the story, and Menken has done an “amazing” job.

“The music is different, and I know that disappoints a lot of people, but it’s the same storyline,” she said.

“[Sister Act is] something new to Australia, which we’ve never had.

“There’s a lot of shows out there at the minute that have been here before, but Sister Act is making its Australian debut into the musical theatre scene … and it’s just such a great night out at the theatre.”

With Sister Act 2 one of those rare sequels that was just as good as the first movie, if not better, will there be a part two to the musical?

“I would love if there was a part two,” Donovan said.