by Madeline Vernaci
Mamma Mia! is an award-winning musical that opened on Broadway in the early 2000s and is based on songs written by the Swedish group ABBA. The legacy of such a prestigious musical might intimidate another theatre company, but Coronado’s Theatre Department spent months rehearsing dauntlessly, and their performances surely did not disappoint.
The musical begins with Sophie, the young bride-to-be, as she discovers the names of three men who might be her father— a secret her mother had hidden from her, despite not knowing the answer herself. The musical follows Sophie and her mother, Donna, as they and the inhabitants of the Greek island they live on prepare for Sophie’s wedding. Sophie must discover which one of the three men her father is before the wedding, so he can walk her down the aisle, all without her mother finding out she’s the one who invited them.
Because there is so much talent among Coronado’s performing arts students, each year’s spring musical highlights two separate casts for alternating days. Auditions to be a part of the experience are rigorous, yet the cast and crew of Mamma Mia! still consists of over a hundred talented students.
Every actor- from the ensemble featured during extravagant numbers such as “Voulez-Vous” and the encore “Waterloo”- to the leads who show off their talent in every number they’re in, worked hard to bring the musical together. The role of Donna, played by both Zoe McCracken and Brooke Dawson, was exceptionally breathtaking, truly bringing the character of Donna to life each night.
Another thing that can make or break a theatre performance is the chemistry between actors, and Coronado’s theatre department showcased people who had that onstage chemistry. From Sophie and her best friends Ali and Lisa to Donna and her former beau Sam, every actor on the stage had the perfect chemistry when interacting with each other as their characters.
However, the actors alone could not have made the show shine in the ways that it did; many people behind the scenes were an essential part of the beautiful production. The stage was painted a lovely white for the performance, featuring a two-story set with a balcony that was decorated with flowers for the occasion and served to set the mood of the production.
Similarly, the costumes set the mood as the story progressed. From their initial casualwear to Donna and the Dynamos’ shiny silver costumes for the number “Super Trouper” and the lavish and colorful outfits the cast donned for the finale, audiences were left stunned. Every costume seemed to tell the audience more about the people and stories behind the obvious wedding tale.
One element that elevated Coronado’s production of Mamma Mia! one step above the rest was their inclusion of a live pit to play the music. Featured prominently before the show started and during the intermission, select performing arts students played an overture compiled of instrumental versions of ABBA songs.
After performing multiple nights for judges, Coronado’s theatre department was chosen as one of the two schools that would present their performance at the Nevada Thespian State Conference on Saturday, March 4th. The honor of performing at the state conference is highly selective and was only awarded to two schools, including Coronado.
