By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices

When it rains it pours.

Just ask actress Dawnn Lewis -- who is having a career renaissance of sorts with her most recent acting endeavors.

The plump-lipped 'A Different World' star has an important cameo in the hit movie musical 'Dreamgirls' and is also fronting the stage adaptation of Whoopi Goldberg's box office smash 'Sister Act.'

So in essence, the woman who many affectionately know simply as Jaleesa Vinson (her character on the groundbreaking 'Cosby Show' spin-off) is literally flipping the script: 'Dreamgirls,' of course, was a legendary Broadway musical and is now a Bill Condon-helmed cinematic spectacle; and 'Sister Act' was a ....

Well you get my drift.

In 'Sister Act the Musical,' Lewis stars in the lead role as diva-in-waiting Deloris Van Cartier (a.k.a. Sister Mary Clarence) --an icon of empowered, ferocious, irreverent African-American womanhood-- who after witnessing a murder, packs up her platform shoes and moves in with the sisters at the down-and-out Holy Order of the Little Sisters of Our Mother of Perpetual Faith.

If you saw the movie, you know it's a comedic romp.

The storyline set to music sounds like it could be real fun.

Directed by Peter Schneider (producer of Broadway musicals 'The Lion King' and 'Aida'), 'Sister Act' will make its world premiere at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre on Jan 24, after a week of preview performances. The show is scheduled to run through Feb. 25.

Lewis, a Brooklyn native who turns 46 this year, married retired NBA player Johnny Newman in 2004. They are now separated.

Professionally, she recently worked on the wildly popular Cartoon Network series 'The Boondocks.'