Mamma Mia!

By Caitlynn Sue April 2, 2025

Under the glow of swirling disco lights, students dance and sing in shimmering outfits to a string of lively music emanating from musicians below the stage. The song comes to an end, and—for a brief moment—the lights dim and the music comes to a halt. But just as the audience begins chanting “Encore, encore!” more students appear, engulfing the stage with vibrance once again as they perform an energetic rendition of “Dancing Queen.” 

Photo by Wei Wang

The school’s production of “Mamma Mia!” opened on March 27 and will have shows on March 28, March 29 and April 2 to 4 at 7 p.m. A group of 30 students—including those from the school’s drama class and student volunteers—have been working on the musical since January. The team is split into cast, or actors, and crew, who work on the costumes and set. 

 ‘Mamma Mia!’ is a jukebox musical based on the songs of ABBA, an internationally popular Swedish pop group. The musical’s producer, Judy Craymer, had been a lifelong fan of ABBA and was inspired by songs like “Winner Takes All,” which struck her as a theatrical story of love and loss.

“This musical is really dynamic and fun. I am really excited about all the popular songs I get to sing—I have never played a role where I get to sing so much,” said Junior Faith Greer, who plays the musical’s lead, Sophie.

Set on a mythical Greek island, ‘Mamma Mia!’ follows Sophie, a young woman who has never met her father but dreams of a wedding where he will walk her down the aisle. However, after discovering her mother’s diary, Sophie identifies the names of three men who could possibly be her father. She sends each an invitation to her wedding, hoping that she will be able to tell which one is truly her father after meeting them in person.

Sophomore Boa Zhang, head of costumes, explained how her role entailed planning out costumes for each scene and then bringing those plans to life by finding pieces at local thrift stores and sewing extra details. Costumes that appear under the spotlight for just a few minutes often were produced from hours of work. For example, Zhang’s process to create a wedding dress for a short scene involved first buying the dress from Goodwill, measuring and fitting the dress for the actor and then hand-sewing straps tailored to his shoulders.

“The costumes for ‘Mamma Mia!’ are really fun since it has a beachy and disco theme. It is a nice contrast from our previous shows like the ‘Laramie Project,’ which was more serious, and ‘Mean Girls,’ which was school-themed,” said Zhang.

Other students worked on building the set for the musical. Senior Kaylee Neuhaus explained how she continued volunteering as a member of the musical crew until her senior year because she loves building and being a part of the theater community, which is like a second family to her. Meanwhile, for students like Freshman Ella Safrai, this musical is just the beginning of a journey in drama.

“This is my first time joining the musical crew and I love working with the drama community! It was fun watching the little parts we built come together as one big set,” said Safrai.

This production of ‘Mamma Mia!’ additionally showcases a new drama feature: live music performed by the school’s own student musicians. The idea was suggested by Rian Rodriguez, Music Department, who helped the musicians practice separately for many weeks before joining rehearsals with the cast. 

The band consists of eight people—four keyboardists, two guitarists, one percussionist, and one drummer—who were recruited from an interest meeting to perform for the musical. To provide accompaniment for almost the entirety of the two-hour musical, the musicians learned 27 pieces. The keyboardists utilized a keyboard software program including over 100 sound patches such as organs, strings and choir voices, to produce a greater variety of instrumentals. 

“While the classical repertoire I usually play is more technically challenging, the music I am preparing for the musical uses pop rhythms, which are different from anything else I have done. It is fun experimenting with this style and playing live alongside other musicians,” said Senior Brian Zhou, a keyboardist. 

Drama is thrilled to continue this feature of live music in future musicals.

“I am super excited to be performing with a live band! In previous shows, we had to follow recorded tracks. Having a live band makes timing much easier as they can adjust to us in real time,” said Senior Niharika Roy Choudhury, who plays Sophie’s mother Donna.

Preparing for the musical required hundreds of hours of effort from the cast, crew and musicians, but they worked together to overcome challenges. For example, the group had to move the show up by one month from its original opening date due to AP exams and finals approaching.

“It was more difficult than usual to get ready. I think we all worked twice as hard to get the shows running,” said Choudhury.

Although the plot of ‘Mamma Mia!’ places a valuable emphasis on familial understanding, many drama members find the musical's greatest strength to be in its capacity to spread joy to the audience. 

"'Mamma Mia!' is focused on having fun. I hope that the audience leaves with a smile on their face," said Zhang.

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About the Contributors

Caitlynn Sue

Writer

Caitlynn Sue is a Junior at Leland High School and a page editor for journalism. This is her second year in journalism and she loves writing and eating snacks during print night. Outside of journalism, she enjoys baking, violin, and dance.

Wei Wang

Photographer

Wei is part of the photographer and media team. This is his first year in journalism. He enjoys competing in cross country and track and field events. He also likes to spend his weekends taking photos and editing them in Photoshop, as well as being a foodie.