Mamma Mia!
Many of you with our cast and crew have been awaiting the premiere since we announced this musical in June 2022. Soon after the success of Grease set in, the directing team chose Mamma Mia! From the 70s inspired costumes, to the well-known ABBA hits, to having another rock band on stage, we were sure that Mamma Mia would be a favorite amongst our students and the community. What we didn’t realize was that we had just completed Grease, The School Edition. If you joined us last year, the school edition featured a slightly shorter script with condenced versions of the popular songs. It was the perfect show to re-introduce a published musical to the Jack Nicholson stage since 2019. When selecting Mamma Mia, the one element we did not consider was that the version you see tonight is not condensed for schools. This is the exact production, word for word and note for note, that you may have seen on Broadway, the national tour, or at your local community theatre. All nine pit musicians, 26 musicals numbers, and 15 scenes featuring an overture, entr’acte, and encore!
When the scripts and scores arrived, we were overwhelmed with the difficultly of the material. With a production team of only three that serves a troupe of over 60 students, we were ready to call “SOS”. But, we “took a chance” knowing that the students involved were so eager to make this song & dance heavy show come to life. The initial feelings of overwhelm dissipated in every moment following auditions.
All we have done is “eat and sleep and sing” Mamma Mia for four months and be grateful to share this story with you tonight. Our production is more than catchy songs and flashing lights. We hope you reflect on the story's meaning: knowing who you are and loving those that matter most.
Drama Club students... the time we have spent working on this show is "slipping through my fingers," but I promise I have been "capturing every minute." Some of you sang along to "Dancing Queen" on this stage well before the idea of one day producing the full-musical Mamma Mia ever seemed possible. You pioneered the post-Covid, success of live theatre at MHS, and I will never forget that. I thank all of you for believing in this production team, in each other, and the why behind what we do.
"Without a song or dance, what are we? So I say thank you for the music, for giving it to me."
Miss Maddi Schille
Director
