By Amory Moore

Every year, the Lake Highlands High School’s theatre department puts on a musical, acted and sung by talented students throughout the school. Consisting of theatre cast members and some of the Highlandettes, Folklorico, Ruby Red’s, and Varsity Cheerleaders, this year’s musical is Mamma Mia, straight from the Greek Islands.

The 2008 musical, Mamma Mia, originally starred Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Firth. The LHHS theatre students are absolutely pumped to put their own spin on this year’s musical production!

“I was genuinely so excited. I knew that this would be a great option for all the talented people in this department. It’s such a fun and upbeat musical that everyone can enjoy,” Junior Susannah Frye said about being cast as “Sophie.”

Senior Audrey Pottkotter, cast as “Donna,” explained that she thinks the audience will be surprised by how exciting and upbeat this year’s musical will be. She knows that the audience will love the variety of ensembles throughout the show.

“I am really looking forward to dress rehearsals. These rehearsals are when the show truly starts to come together and it’s so much fun seeing the costumes and sets come to life,” Frye added.

The LHHS theatre department has recently put on musical performances from many time periods, including Crazy for You, Emma, and Singin’ in the Rain. This year’s musical was originally announced to students in the spring of 2022.

“This might be blasphemous, but I’d never seen the movie before auditioning, so it was a great experience for me to get acquainted with the story,” Senior Will Linton, cast as “Harry,” said.     “I wasn’t expecting any particular musical, but I think this one works so well with the cast we have!”

Junior Audrey Galloway, cast as a bridesmaid and student choreographer, commented that she’s excited for people to see the different dance teams that have been incorporated into the musical.

“My favorite part about being in theater productions at LH is seeing the show come together all of a sudden. It’s awesome to see the cast and crew’s energy increase as it all comes together,” Pottkotter added.

Anyone who is in an extracurricular at school knows that it can be a big time commitment. Especially for theatre students during musical season, it takes a lot of time and effort to make a masterpiece.

“Theatre is a pretty big time commitment, especially in January, when we’re combining all the separate aspects of the musical. It does interfere with things like hanging out with friends, but being as prepared as possible before things get super intense has helped to remove some stress for me,” Linton mentioned.

Frye commented that this musical really hasn’t been a huge time commitment for her. She’s always able to find time to practice songs, dances, and lines with time left over for hanging out with friends and family.

“It honestly helps me manage my time better than I have before, which benefits me as a teenager with other things I’m involved in,” Frye replied.

Susannah also said that she loves how her character, “Sophie,” always keeps a positive attitude when facing problems and that [Sophie] is very confident with herself and her relationships.

“My favorite scene in the show is definitely the finale,” Pottkotter mentioned. “‘Waterloo’ is so fun to sing and dance to. I love that it’s the entire cast performing together, and I get to do it with some of my favorite people.”

“Waterloo”, the finale of the musical, was by far the majority of people’s favorite scene to sing and dance to. It leaves the show on a high note and it brings everyone together into one scene.

“I’m most looking forward to people seeing this musical because it’s so fun and we’ve put so much hard work into it!” Galloway commented.

Most musical or theatre adaptations will have their own kind of twist. Whether that’s a change of set or script, staying close to the original adaptation is important.

“Sticking to the original script is always important, just out of respect for the writers. But adding a little twist to personalize our characters and scenes is always a great way to surprise the audience”, Frye said. “The set this year is also very fun and unique.”

Linton also commented that he plans on sticking pretty close to the production, but he’ll add some of his own touches to the character.

But, above all, theatre provides a safe space for many students. Being brought into the theater to create a masterpiece with your friends is a privilege like no other.

“I love how supportive and welcoming everyone within the theatre department is! I’m not personally in theatre but I can just tell each and everyone truly cares about my feelings and will find ways to support my feelings and will find ways to support me no matter what,” Frye mentioned.

Galloway added that she loves the support and love from the cast and directors.

“My favorite part about being in theatre productions here is the opportunity to create art with so many other fantastic performers! I love the sense of camaraderie we create, and the shows are always magical,” Linton concluded.

Come see Mamma Mia! on January 26 at 7 pm for opening night, or other times the following weekend. Click here to purchase tickets!