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I am so excited to be back at Culver City High School’s AVPA directing once again! That’s right…nearly 20 years ago, back when AVPA was a fledging program and before the Robert Frost had been renovated, I directed a handful of musicals for the Academy - including Cabaret, Oliver!, The Who’s Tommy, and Bat Boy. But graduate school, a career in television, and having a family took me away from CCHS…and, gosh, how I’ve missed it. Which is why I was thrilled when Lee and Tony asked me to come back and direct this production of Mamma Mia. 

I’ll admit, I was a little concerned about directing a show that centered around a middle-aged, single mother who rekindles relationships with her 3 ex-lovers. But from Day 1 of rehearsal, this amazing cast showed me that this musical is about so much more than that! For our production, we decided to focus, instead, on the story of young Sophie and her mom, Donna, and the themes of love, family, growing up, and leaving the nest.

I’ve always been a fan of ABBA’s music and I really wanted to lean into the 1970s aspect of the show. As written, the play takes place in 1995, but our production is set in 1975…the year that ABBA released their hit single, “Waterloo.” Much of our inspiration was pulled directly from ABBA music videos. Needless to say, we had a lot of fun creating this world and putting the show together for you tonight. So get ready, folks, to travel back to 1975. Dancing in your seats and singing along is highly encouraged. Enjoy the show!!

            - Will Pellegrini