Sister Wendy to be subject of stage musical

Published Thursday 14 December 2006 at 16:10 by Alistair Smith

Sister Wendy Beckett - the reclusive nun made famous by her TV art series - is to be portrayed on the London stage in January, after Wendy herself stepped in to save the production from closure.

Author Marcus Reeves (pictured as Sister Wendy) had originally intended to take on the title role himself in Postcards from God - The Sister Wendy Musical. However, on the final day of auditions, he was contacted by the order of nuns under whose protection Wendy lives, telling him they wanted to stop the show and objecting in particular to the fact that a man was going to represent Wendy on stage.

“Although we had been in touch with her, because she lives in a community in which there is literally a rule of silence, the information about the show had never really filtered through to those she lives with,” Reeves told The Stage.

“It was the first they’d heard about it around a month ago. They seemed aghast that anyone would be writing a musical about a nun. They’ve obviously never seen The Sound of Music.”

The order and the show’s producers agreed certain changes to the production, including Reeves being replaced by an actress in the role of Wendy, but there were still serious doubts over whether the show would be allowed to take place.

That was until Wendy herself contacted the company on the first day of rehearsals to let him know that she was perfectly happy for the show to take place.

“She has basically said we can do what we want now,” added Reeves. “She herself has been very easygoing and open-minded. The whole kerffuffle has been about the people around her - not her.”

He stressed that while Wendy herself had been rather “baffled” by the whole thing, the show was respectful and “not a parody.”

* Postcards from God opens at the Jermyn Street Theatre on January 10, previews from January 8.