Bellmore sister act takes on Broadway

When Niki Sorrentino was a 13-year-old growing up in Bellmore, her sister Viki “hated [her] guts.” But the self –proclaimed annoying little sister said all of that changed after one of many times that Viki was asked to babysit her.

“Viki had always done music, and one time when she was watching me she needed someone’s help while she was practicing at the piano,” she said. “She asked me to hold a note or something, and together we made a nice harmony.”

About 20 years later, the Sorrentino sisters are still singing together, now in their own cabaret show in New York City’s Broadway District, which debuted this month.

The Sorrentinos starred in “Caught In The Act” at the Laurie Beechman Theatre on West 42nd Street from Aug. 3 to 4. The sisters worked with each other, directors and others to choose the songs and develop a show that painted the picture of their lives together and apart.

“We wanted to choose songs that we could make into our own to tell our story and share it with others,” Viki said. “Between the singing and the patter between numbers, you learn about our relationship with each other, or relationships with men, memories from when we were growing up and just our life.”

Viki, 38, continues to be an active member of the Bellmore community and will move back to the neighborhood in a few weeks. She is currently a cantor at St. Barnabas Roman Catholic Church, and has been a member of the choir since she was 16.

Although joining the church’s choir was initially a way for her to spend more time with her mother and fellow singer, Rosemarie Sorrentino, Viki said the experience helped her passion for music develop.

“It supplemented and spurred my musical growth when I was younger,” she said. “When I grew into an adult, I realized that I was making a difference. At church, it’s more about the service you’re offering while singing than the performance.”

Nevertheless, the elementary school teacher knew she also wanted to be on the stage. She became active in musical theater groups while a student at Long Island University, in addition to directing and producing for children’s groups like Best of Broadway in Hewlett.