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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.

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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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