Vocal Duo Sister Act Perform at Sachem Library

Last weekend, Sister Act, which features talented and versatile singers and sisters, Andrea and Celeste took the jam-packed audience at the on a musical journey of the best in American female performers. 

The duo dazzled as they spanned the decades from The Andrews Sisters to Madonna, accompanied by Andrea's husband of nearly 30 years, Andy Giammalvo as studio sound technician.

Sister Act did several quick changes, morphing into each larger than life persona, and kept the members of the audience on their toes with each surprising transformation.

Born in the Bronx, Andrea and Celeste were products of a showbiz family.  They were brought up listening to the hits of their first cousin, Dion (of Dion and the Belmonts).  He visited often, sharing his love of the business with their dad, Louis, a former model and singer, who helped start Dion on his path to stardom.

Their mother, Josephine Romano, now 86, worked as a performer in the days of early puppetry and brought to life the marionettes with whom she toured.  Still energetic, Romano was in the audience during the recent performance and even joined her daughters on stage for a few numbers.

The show began with Celeste utilizing her resonant voice to pay homage to Barbra Streisand in "Don't Rain on My Parade" from Broadway's Funny Girl.  It was followed by The Andrews Sisters' iconic World War II tune, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", during which a man in the audience was invited on stage to stand in as the third Andrews Sister.

Celeste belted out hits made famous by legendary greats such as Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner; all while donning apropos wigs and attire.

Andrea took the lead while portraying pop icons such as Bette Midler, Cher, Celine Dion, Madonna and Cyndi Lauper.  She wowed the crowd with her panache as much as with her vocal prowess.

The sisters are a powerhouse pair, combining their passion for music and performance with their love for one another.  Their contagious chemistry that results in vocal harmony interspersed with witty banter puts them in a class all their own, and sets them apart from many other performance groups.

Prior to having families and settling down in the New York area, Andrea and Celeste toured well known resort destinations, frequenting Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Miami Beach and New York showrooms in the '80s; and ended their six years on the road with a European tour.  Both are now married to accomplished musicians who share in and support all their musical endeavors.

"We didn't grow up with a ton of money," Andrea said. "There were no Karaoke machines; we'd sing into toilet paper rolls or hair brushes."  It was evident that the two managed to retain their youthful zeal for song and dance.

In addition to libraries, town parks, political expos, private parties and other events, The Sister Act Show is also BOCES affiliated and developed a multimedia production to enthrall, involve and educate students of all ages by correlating each of their featured vocalists to historical events. 

Andrea detailed what inspired them to develop this unique format, geared toward school age audiences, which they have performed countless times over the past decade. 

"When my son was in school, they looked for cultural arts programs for Women's History Month, and had a hard time finding a program to represent women," she said.  "We're dubbed '5 to 95', because we go from schools to seniors."

"It's therapy for me. We're best friends," said Celeste of getting to spend quality time with her sister while bringing joy to so many.

Several in attendance were asked to sing or get up and dance.  Audience participation is an integral component to what makes this show so special.  Some highlights of the hour-long extravaganza were selections from Cabaret, Chicago and Celeste's remarkable rendition of "I'll Be Seeing You" from the '30s Broadway musical Right This Way, and more recently featured in The Notebook.  While singing the touching tune she was visibly moved.  "A love like that is just hard to come by," said Celeste.

Also featured were songs from La Cage Aux Folles, Fiddler on the Roof and Gypsy.  Hilarity abounded when Celeste sauntered out fittingly endowed and in a blonde wig, impersonating Dolly Parton; and again when she wore a curly red one as Broadway's Annie, and quipped that her sister gets to wear all the "good wigs."

The most sidesplitting section came when a man from the audience was invited up during an ode to musical South Pacific.  The excellent sport was made to wear a bright red wig, pink grass skirt and a "coconut bra."

Sister Act is a rarity in these days of Auto-Tune, special effects and over-processed everything.  Their performance evoked a Vaudevillian simplicity of yesteryear with their intoxicating brand of homespun, freewheeling professionalism. The multifaceted, down to earth duo effortlessly conveyed frivolity and pathos, strength and vulnerability.

The sisters somehow managed to seamlessly tie together all the disparate elements of their act, through their undeniable charisma and dedication to remembering the groundbreaking women who paved the way before them.