Whoopi Goldberg Departs London Run of Sister Act Musical, Where She Was to Play Deloris

Whoopi Goldberg has bowed out of a future London production of Sister Act: the Musical, in which she was announced to reprise her screen role of Deloris Van Cartier.

Sister Act was first scheduled to run at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith in the summer of 2020, but the run has now been pushed to July 19-August 28, 2022. Goldberg, who is also producing the run with Jamie Wilson, said in a statement, "Sister Act is near and dear to my heart and I'm disappointed that I will be unable to perform in this production under the circumstances. However, my producing partners and I will continue to work towards mounting a fantastic production, with an amazing new cast and we look forward to presenting it when it can be done safely for everyone onstage, behind the scenes, and in the audience."

The production would have marked Goldberg's first time playing Deloris onstage. She famously originated the role in the films Sister Act and Sister Act 2 — Back in the Habit, and played the Mother Superior in the Sister Act musical at the London Palladium in 2010. She is still set to star in a planned Sister Act 3, which was officially announced in December 2020, with a future release date on Disney Plus.