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Whoopi Goldberg will get back in the ‘Sister Act’ on a London stage

Whoopi Goldberg plays Mother Superior in "Sister Act: The Musical" in London in 2010.
(Neil Mockford / Getty Images)
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Whoopi Goldberg is getting back in the habit for a new London staging of “Sister Act: The Musical.”

“The original Deloris is back. A little older, a little seasoned but really still kind of out there,” the 63-year-old announced in a video Thursday.

“The View” moderator Goldberg, who starred in the 1992 movie about showgirl-turned-nun-impersonator Deloris Van Cartier, will return to the stage next summer in a newly adapted revival of the 2006 stage show. “Absolutely Fabulous” creator and star Jennifer Saunders will play the stern and suspicious Mother Superior, a role originated by Maggie Smith in the Disney film.

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The show will play at the Eventim Apollo from July 29 to Aug. 30 while “The View” is on hiatus. It will feature original music from Tony- and Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken as well as Motown, soul and disco dance routines.

“Sister Act” featured the comedian playing a Las Vegas showgirl forced into protective custody at a convent after witnessing a murder. There, the naughty disco diva reluctantly joins the convent’s choir and transforms the timid sisters into divine-worship divas by reworking oldies such as “My Guy,” “Shout” and “I Will Follow Him.” Its 1993 follow-up film, “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit,” also starred Lauryn Hill.

Goldberg previously headlined in the show as Mother Superior when it played at the London Palladium back in 2010. But she abruptly left the production after her mother suffered a stroke. The comic also served as a consulting producer on the musical.

The show originally opened at the Pasadena Playhouse in 2006 before moving to London. The musical ran on Broadway from 2011 to 2012.

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