Theater presents the musical “Mamma Mia!” on two consecutive weekends, with performances on Nov. 7 and 8 and Nov. 14 and 15 at 7 p.m. General admission is $15 and VIP tickets are $20. The show is rated PG-13.
This year’s production will be staged in the cafeteria, which has been transformed into an island paradise. Seatings will be limited.
Senior Abril Garcia plays the lead actress role as Sophie Sherdian. She intends to show people life is never too serious, and she embodies her character by showing her personality and bringing it to life on stage.
“To be completely honest, I struggled to connect with Sophie at first because to me, she was just a naive, childish, young adult,” Garcia said. “However, after some deeper thinking, I started to admire her. Sophie stands for what she believes in and has very strong values while still being fun and spontaneous. In that sense, I’ve been trying to be a bit more like Sophie and have more fun with life because in the end, it’s never that serious.”
Although Garcia struggled to get into character for the show, she recognized her growth in the program and gave credits to her friends who have helped her along the way. From tech to theater, Garcia acknowledges she still has a long way to go and appreciates the musical’s contribution to discovering her identity.
“The most challenging part of performing in Mamma Mia is trying to get over myself and immerse myself in the role,” Garcia said. “Working with my castmates has helped me work better with others and learn to rely on them to support me while performing both mentally and physically. I have a long way to grow, and I’m capable of more than I thought I was. I’m hoping everyone will enjoy it because I’m proud of this musical as a senior musical.”
While junior Olivia Fechter originally auditioned for the role of Sophie, she found similarities with her official role as Lisa, bringing enthusiasm to her performance. Fechter looks forward to performing songs from ABBA.
“I think the audience will connect with this year’s Mamma Mia very well,” Fechter said. “Especially with the very popular movie, everyone is going to know at least one song and they can sing along. Obviously there is a time and place, but it’s OK to loosen up for a little bit and just belt some ABBA and make up a dance. Everyone is kind and works hard, and I think it will show when we perform.”
Behind the scenes, senior Amuma Abaragu plays a key leadership role. She has to take time to help rehearse on the stage and though it may not seem like a huge part being an assistant stage manager, she has to make sure everything is ready to go.
“You do have to be there for every rehearsal, so it’s a pretty huge time commitment,” Abaragu said. “What I’m entrusted with is making sure everything’s on track like timing because even though acting might seem natural on stage, all of it is very methodical and planned out beforehand. I make sure all aspects of tech are good on their own and make sure everyone has costumes in order.”
As she prepares for her musical, Abaragu reflects on the bittersweet feeling that comes with closing out her theater journey.
“Since it’s my last musical, it makes me kind of sad,” Abaragu said. “Like that one song, ‘Slipping Through My Fingers.’ I’m going to cry during that because that’s how I feel about theater and high school in general. There’s always going to be a part of me that knows I’m never going to experience this again.”
