Last year, Central Collegiate drama students were disappointed to learn that they would be unable to put on a production due to the pandemic. So this year, they were ready to seize their opportunity.
Central Collegiate drama teacher Brian Bowley, the show’s director, says he has wanted to do Mamma Mia! for years. Nevertheless, it was not his idea: his students came up with it.
“This year, the kids actually came to us and said, ‘We should do Mamma Mia!’” Bowley says the drama students had already worked out how to fill the roles, and everything seemed to fit. “So,” he continues, “seriously, it’s a no-brainer. The music is so much fun, and it’s so popular at the moment. And the whole rehearsal process has just been a blast.”
Mamma Mia! is one of the most popular and long-running musicals ever. It opened in London’s West End in 1999 (where it still goes strong), made its North American debut in Toronto in 2000, and opened on Broadway in 2001, where it played 5,773 performances before closing in 2015.
Mamma Mia! tells the story of a mother (Donna) and her soon-to-be-married daughter (Sophie). Donna raised Sophie alone. She didn’t, and doesn’t, need a man to make her life complete. Sophie, on the other hand, has decided she wants her unknown father to give her away at her upcoming wedding. The story’s conflict revolves around the fact that there are three reasonable possibilities for who her father could be – and, without telling her mother, Sophie invites them all.
Production at Central Collegiate Institute began in September. The school’s teachers all came together to support production – Paul McCorriston directed the music; Derek Porter designed and built the sets; Holly McCorriston painted the sets and did the show’s choreography; and Chantel Mack did the costume design.
The stars are, of course, the cast. The teachers are unanimous that their role is to enable their students, and the students have done a fantastic job of preparing. Holly McCorriston says that while she isn’t the one who has to go on stage, she “feels ready for them. They look fantastic, and now it’s the fun part, putting it all together.”
Emma Cherney, who plays Sophie Sheridan, says all the drama students “missed theatre [last year] so much, and getting it back is such a treat… so we’re all having a good time.” Emma McAuley (playing Ali, one of Sophie’s bridesmaids) agrees: “We’re pulling it together, I think. I think it’s going to turn out great.”
The hours required in preparation are intimidating. The cast has been putting in two hours a night, five days a week for two months. They’ve ramped up recently as well, adding multiple five-hour rehearsals as they get ready for the stage at Albert E. Peacock’s Centennial Auditorium. No one knows much time has been spent in total.
“Too many hours,” laughs Madalynne Eros, who plays Donna Sheridan. But, she says, they’re ready. “We’re so excited! This is what we worked for. It gets stressful, but it’s all worth it. And we obviously get nervous and stuff, but once we’re on stage, it comes so naturally because we’ve practiced for so long.”
The cast is surprisingly experienced. Many have been dancing and doing theatre for nearly ten years already. “We’re all in choir and vocal jazz too, so… it’s a lot of singing,” Emily McAuley adds. The music has become second-nature, as their Wednesday night rehearsals of “Money, Money, Money,” and “Honey, Honey” made clear. The choreography, singing, and lines were automatic from every cast member.
Mamma Mia! will run at 7 pm for the nights of the 18th, 19th, and 20th at Peacock’s Centennial Auditorium at 145 Ross St.
Tickets are available online at ShowTix4U.com (search “Central Collegiate”), or from Central Collegiate’s office. The prices are $15 for adults and $10 for students.
