For this year’s musical, West High’s theatre department put on the beloved production Mamma Mia!. Performances were held on Nov 18-20, but the theatre department had been working on the musical since September. Over 200 hours of hard work, practice, and after-school rehearsals were put into this production and it paid off!

The show consists of two acts, with over 20 amazing musical numbers performed with live music and singing! The actors, dancers, musicians, ensemble, and tech crew gave their all during every song. Some of the bigger numbers were fully choreographed with the leading actors and ensemble, including “Voulez-Vous,” “Under Attack,” and “Mamma Mia!.” Leads Charlotte King (Donna) and Celia-Marie Bartholomew (Sophie) were amazing, both acting and singing-wise. Overall, the whole cast did a fantastic job recreating Mamma Mia! with all its liveliness and excitement.

Personally, my favorite performances were “Our Last Summer” and “Does Your Mother Know.” Charlotte King (Donna) and James Thomas (Harry) performed a great duet with the former; it was upbeat and a cute number overall. In “Does Your Mother Know,” Brynna Shale (Tanya) and Cameron Parke (Pepper) put on an entertaining show with great choreography and singing. I also enjoyed “Lay All Your Love on Me” and “Under Attack.” Of course, the well known classics “Mamma Mia!” and “Dancing Queen” were included in the show. During the curtain call, the cast sang bits of the songs from the show and “Waterloo,” a song from the sequel. They really went above and beyond with these extra few numbers; they were at the end of the show, but had just as much energy as the rest of the production. Kellen Hunnicutt (Sky) told me more about the curtain call, “I thought the bows at the end were really fun because everybody was hyped up on adrenaline and at that point, doing perfectly didn’t really matter anymore[…]it’s just like a celebration of us doing well.”

I interviewed some of the actors from the show and all the performers I talked to really enjoyed the process. Celia-Marie Bartholomew (Sophie) said, “I enjoyed performing so much. It was so wonderful to just be on stage and have all that practice pay off.” Jason Hogue (Sam) seemed especially energetic about the show, “I didn’t just enjoy it, I absolutely loved it! It was so fun getting to work with all the wonderful people in the cast and crew and I really enjoyed the show itself. I wasn’t really a fan of Mamma Mia! before being a part of the show but working on the show made me realize how fun of a show Mamma Mia! can be. Although learning the songs was challenging for me, I learned a lot from this show, and it helped me improve as an actor as well as helping me make a lot of new friends!”

I also talked to Isaac Harges, an ensemble member. He explained how inclusive the theatre department is: “The musical is very helpful for welcoming new students who want to join drama because Ms. Stacey includes everyone who auditions either through making them understudy/ensemble or a smaller lead depending on experience levels and grade.” Kellen Hunnicutt (Sky) also spoke positively about the drama program, “I think the best part of theater is the people you do it with. Everybody is so nice and I think theatre is particularly a fun activity because everyone is so non-judgemental. It makes the whole experience really enjoyable even if it takes a long time.”

Almost all of the cast members’ favorite musical numbers included the whole cast and lots of choreography. Celia-Marie Bartholomew (Sophie) added, “I loved performing any of the group numbers. I love having choreography with songs, so having that unity with all the cast was very nice.”

The costumes, scenery, lights, and sound all played a huge part in making Mamma Mia! come to life. Grace Silge, one of the stage managers, explained the tech crew’s role in the show, “[We] make sure that everything runs smoothly, and that the audience can understand what’s happening. The set and paint crew built the set and made sure that it could rotate smoothly and that the windows would open and that it was safe to stand on. Costumes helped brainstorm, sew, and organize the costumes so that it was clear whether we were at a wedding or a beach. Hair and makeup made sure that the actors weren’t washed out. Props made sure we had brooms, suitcases, money, wine glasses, and everything else you saw people holding on stage. Lights made sure that the time of day was correct, that the stage was lit enough during scene changes that everyone was safe, and that the singers were spotlighted so the audience could really focus on them. Sound made sure that the mics and band were all on and audible, but not drowning each other out or destroying anyone’s eardrums. Everyone in tech transformed an empty auditorium to an entire production!”

Grace mentioned at the end of her interview, “Thank you to everyone who was involved, whether backstage, onstage, or in the audience! It was great working with everyone and getting to bring together such a delightful musical.”

I loved the show, but I thought it would be worth getting some other opinions. I interviewed a few students after they watched the show and there was a really positive response. Mirya Stanley said, “I found the show really good. It was funny, had a nice sort of mystery in it, and the love hexagon was superb.” Another student said, “The actors were really great. They had great dancing and singing and were great at getting into character. Celia-Marie was so great at singing and was a great actor. I really enjoyed all the music and the water-gun part was even fun too.” The most popular songs were “Money, atl Money, Money” and “Voulez-Vous,” which were both big group numbers.

To learn more about the show, I interviewed Ms. Stacey, who teaches Theatre Foundations I-IV and runs all the play productions at West: “I am very happy with how Mamma Mia turned out. I am always so proud of the students and their hard work.” She mentioned that the cast and crew included a lot of first-time performers, “The new students were really stretched to produce and Woo-ee, did they! The actors made some really great acting choices and built new friendships, which is always nice to see.” She also expressed how happy she was to have live music for the performances. I was interested in what precautions she took for the pandemic. While they were on stage, actors were unmasked, but technicians kept their masks on the whole time.

Mamma Mia! is just the first of four play productions this year. Ms. Stacey told me all about the theatre department’s upcoming audition dates and productions: “Our play is As You Like It, by William Shakespeare. It will be performed in late February. Auditions are on the 14th of December, and all are welcome to audition (everyone who auditions will be in the show!). Then we have our competition one-act piece called Antigone. It is an ensemble piece and will be entered into the region competition in March. Auditions for that are on January 4th. Only high school students can participate, and you must qualify as athletes do (2.0 gpa and no more than 1 failing grade for term 2). Lastly, we have our ELPer show. Auditions will be on March 24th, and only ELPers can act. The tech crew for that show will be all student driven…high schoolers will be the directors, heads, and lead crew members. I have not said what that show is yet…I must have my secrets!”

If you’re interested in being part of one of these upcoming shows, visit Ms. Stacey in room 416 to get more information. But if you’d prefer not to participate, you can still support the theatre department by coming to see their performances!