Starting this Thursday, March 26, and closing Saturday, March 28, students, staff, and people of the community will have the opportunity to travel to the Greek Islands and experience the smash hits of ABBA through Barnstable High School Drama Club’s production of “Mamma Mia!” as it’s spring musical.
This story, created by producer Judy Craymer, is meant to showcase family, friendship, and a romantic story while capturing the theatrical aspect of ABBA’s music. Leading the show are seniors Nariah Turner (Harbor Cast) and Lylah Crawley (Taverna Cast) taking on the iconic roles of Donna and Sophie Sheridan who share an emotional mother-daughter relationship as Sophie hopes to identify her father before her wedding.
Turner feels confident going into opening night as she has dreamed of playing Donna for as long as she can remember. “At first, I was really nervous about it. This is the biggest role I’ve had and it is my dream role, so it’s been a long process but I feel very confident with it,” Turner said.
Seniors Kayro Dos Santos and Sebastian Ribot take on the roles of Harry Bright, while Brady Kundel and Mathew Brancaccio and Bill Austin, two out of the three possible fathers of Sophie in the show.
“I’m very happy that I got this opportunity. I haven’t been in Drama Club for the longest time, so I’m very grateful to be cast as this main role and being trusted to play it. Having this role as a senior, it’s so gratifying because you get to show every aspect of your skills on stage,” said Dos Santos.
As most know, slight chaos comes with a great production. This process has included a lot of time and preparation as the seniors performing in the show want to make it the best experience possible as it is their grande finale.
“I’m excited, but I’m also super stressed. It’s definitely a lot because there’s a lot of moving parts with it. I have to figure out what I’m feeling in certain parts, who I’m talking to in certain parts, what I’m doing, what these lines mean, etc. I’m definitely nervous but at the same time I feel like when I get on stage the adrenaline will just pump in,” Crawley said.
This performance is different from previous musicals put on by the Drama Club as they have been mostly kid-friendly, especially in the spring. “Mamma Mia!” targets a broad audience of all ages and is also Barnstable’s first jukebox musical.
“This show is really dance heavy. It’s also probably the show that we’ve had the least amount of leads, and the most amount of ensemble so it’s very ensemble heavy. It’s really fun because the leads, on their off nights, filling out the ensemble really makes a big difference,” said Mary Barth, the head director of the Drama Club.
Mark your calendars and buy your tickets for the shows starting on Thursday March 26th at 7pm followed by Friday March 27th at 7pm and last but not least March 28th at 2pm and 7pm.
“I’m feeling really excited, it’s gonna be awesome. Buy your tickets soon!” said Kundel.
