Chris Turner, the Stage Director for Mama Mia! at Mount Pleasant High School, clearly makes the audience aware that the show is “outside of the box” for the school’s Drama Department because it usually stages musicals with “challenging themes.” Turner states, “However, very rarely have we gone forward with a play or musical that has the sole purpose of providing an evening of pure entertainment.” And, entertaining it is.
Mama Mia! isn’t the type of show that stretches your mind, confronts a moral dilemma or delves into one’s psyche. Rather, it’s a jukebox musical conceived by Judy Craymer with a book by Catherine Johnson set to the music of Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, that makes you tap your toes, hum along, and smile while watching a very simplistic story of a young bride-to-be searching for her unknown father so that she can be walked down the aisle in proper fashion. The story tries very hard to be engaging but the story isn’t why you go to see Mama Mia!
I attended the final dress rehearsal in order to pen this promotional piece. This is in no way a review!! The reason for this piece is to widen the reach for audience attendance because Young Artists MUST be supported in order to keep their love of theater alive and growing. One of the best forms of validation an Artist can receive is an appreciative audience. The Mount Pleasant High School production of Mama Mia! deserves your attention for many reasons.
When you walk into the theater you’ll see a terrific set that evokes a Greek island’s local taverna. When the set needs to change, it morphs fluidly into other spaces. The stage is pleasantly illuminated throughout the show with each scene nicely crafted. The show is performed with a live band led by Brian Drumbore which ups the ante for both performers and audience members. Costumes are various and colorful, and the iconic jumpsuits make their appearance in usual fashion…