It was recently announced that this year’s high school musical will be Mamma Mia. This well-known musical is a fun, humorous, and heartfelt jukebox musical. Set on the picturesque fictional Greek island of Kalokairi, Mamma Mia tells the story of a girl who, without informing her mother, decides to invite three men to her wedding in hopes that she will figure out which one of them is her father. It’s filled with large dance numbers and focuses on the joys of friendship and family. The musical is based on popular songs that were recorded by ABBA, a chart-topping Swedish singing group that gained fame in the 1970s and 80s, and composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA. The musical also features a large cast, with around 15 named characters and many other ensemble roles.
At Hastings High School, the musical is usually chosen through a system that Laurie Walton, the director, has “relied on in [her] many years at Hastings.” This process consists of a general meeting for interested students in the fall and a later meeting about a month before auditions to, as Laurie says, “discuss options mentioned in the fall, new suggestions from the kids, and any thoughts [she] has had.” This year, mainly due to the need to share sets with other productions, Laurie had to pick the show earlier than normal. Prospective actors went to the fall meeting and discussed options and ideas, and soon after that, Mamma Mia was announced as this year’s musical.
Laurie said that she “typically stress[es] over show choices for months on end,” but due to the shortened time frame this year, she decided to go with a fan favorite, stating that “this title has come up often in Hastings as a show the students would enjoy doing, so it was basically more of a ‘why not?’ selection.” Laurie also shared that she has never directed or seen Mamma Mia, saying that “it is one of very few musicals that [she] know[s] little about. So, as Laurie says, “the fun will come with discovery “for [her] and for the cast as [everyone] gets to know this piece together.”
Many members of the cast and crew are also excited about the musical pick. Norah Destin, a sophomore actor, says that she’s “really happy” because Mamma Mia is “one of [her] favorite musicals.” She shared that she “love[s] ABBA too [and] just love[s] singing their songs.” Olive Berko, a sophomore member of the tech crew, agreed with Norah. She commented, “I really like it. I’m excited for Mamma Mia because it’s got great songs and it’s fun. The costumes and props are fun and the set is pretty.” Nico D’Andrea, a senior actor, also likes Mamma Mia, stating that he “think[s] it’s quite a nice musical to end off on.” Nico also believes that “as an actual musical, Mamma Mia is brilliant [and] the music is amazing.” Reflecting on his past shows throughout his time in high school, Nico believes that “regardless of what the musical was, it was going to be a great time…the fact that it[‘s] Mamma Mia might accentuate that.”
Mamma Mia has been popular in Hastings High School for many years. As Nico said, his sister (who has graduated), “did musicals here for a while and was actually quite upset about the fact that we’re doing Mamma Mia. She was always pushing for it during her four years in high school.” This longstanding interest in Mamma Mia made the excitement even higher when the musical was officially announced as this year’s spring production.
Auditions will be held Tuesday, January 21st and Wednesday, January 22nd, with callbacks to follow. The cast, crew, and audience can look forward to a performance filled with positive energy, great music, and lots of joy.
