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Mamma Mia! hits the SJS stage

By Nina Varma, St. John's School, School Buzz Reporter | March 5, 2020

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The Mamma Mia "pink" cast poses for a picture in the midst of rehearsing the wedding scene.

In early September, theater students at St. John’s School eagerly awaited the announcement of the musical that would be performed in the spring of 2020. Past SJS musical theater productions have included The Music Man, Oklahoma and Joseph and the Technicolor DreamCoat.

As the fine arts director released news that the musical would be Mamma Mia!, students of various grade levels were eager to audition and unleash their inner "dancing queens."

“People will definitely come see the musical because they've heard of the movie and West End musical before - the fact that the ensemble in Mamma Mia! plays such a large role made me more excited about it,” freshman Lucia Varma said.

The story of Mamma Mia! revolves around Sophie Sheridan, who is getting married on a Greek island where she and her mother Donna have lived for the entirety of Sophie’s life. As her mother has never revealed the identity of Sophie’s father, Sophie invites three men who are most likely to be her father; her invites trigger ABBA musical numbers, family chaos, glitter, and tears.

Due to the significant amount of students who auditioned for the musical in September, the directors decided to double cast the ensemble and female leads. This would give students as many performance opportunities as possible to showcase the hard work that goes into such a production.

“I think that the double casting was a good idea considering that there were so many people that auditioned; this way, each person gets to be on stage a little more,” Varma said.

While at first many were sad about the idea of not performing each night, rigorous rehearsal schedule and commitment has alleviated some of the stress off of the students’ shoulders.

Mamma Mia! will be performed in the Lowe Theater on March 5 at 7:30 p.m., March 6 at 7:30 p.m., and March 7 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m at St. John’s School.