Drama at BHS
Mamma Mia!
W
ith the hook of ABBA’s classic songs and a delightful ensemble
performance, BHS’s presentation of Mamma Mia! had the staff, students and audience all singing from the same song sheet.
Show Director Jane (Hammond) Thorpe ’87, P’25 says the songs of any musical will get “stuck in your head at some point” but this happened much more quickly and on a wider scale with Mamma Mia!
“The cast picked up on the music much quicker and were eager to learn the songs,” she says. “As the music is well known, even those outside of the cast were singing along in the corridors!” Set on a Greek island paradise, Mamma
Mia! tells the tale of Sophie, played by Ava Rosser ’23, a young woman on the eve of her wedding eager to discover the identity of her birth father. Unbeknownst to her mother, Donna, played by Lauren Mendes ‘19, Sophie invites three men from Donna’s past to the wedding in hopes of discovering which one is her father. What she learns, during the heart- warming and often hilarious tale, is that family, and indeed our own identities, are not just defined by biology. Mrs Thorpe says the cast discussed this and the other themes of the show, particularly the issues as they relate to females. “We talked about what defines a family,” explains Mrs Thorpe. “We also talked about equality and had conversations, particularly with the older cast members, about how judgments on women are negative for the amount of relationships they have and how men are judged positively for the same thing. “We looked at how the women in the production are empowered by their own choices, and the right they have to make their own choices.” Fittingly, strong performances from the show’s two female leads helped drive home these messages. Both Ava and Lauren have been regular participants in the school’s productions, but Mamma Mia! was the first time they had each stepped into lead roles. “This is Ava’s third production,” says Mrs Thorpe. “Each year she has been
16 Torchbearer Spring 2018
committed in all rehearsals and this year was no exception. She always strived to achieve her best and develop her character of Sophie.” Meanwhile Lauren’s previous roles have included minor characters, being a “handy dandy helper” for the Creative Team and as back stage manager for last year’s Shrek the Musical.
“Every year she has strived to be part of the show and was so excited to be cast as Donna.” says Mrs Thorpe. “That excitement was wonderful to see.” Mrs Thorpe also noted the performances of Lizzie Luckashvili ‘19, as Tanya, and Cassie Furtado ‘19, as Rosie. Playing Donna’s former band-mates and best friends, Tanya and Rosie provide emotional support, and comic relief, as Donna works through the travails of her daughter’s wedding and the arrival of Sophie’s three (potential) fathers. Cassie’s Rosie also shows no hesitation in taking the “lead” in her pursuit of Bill, culminating in a hilarious performance of “Take a Chance On Me” in which her intentions are laid bare and Bill, though clearly intimidated, eventually succumbs to her charms.
After being cast as Shrek in last year’s production, Mrs Thorpe says Cassie’s performance highlighted her continuing development on stage: “Cassie demonstrated in her Drama GCSE what a strong performer she is. As her confidence in her own ability, particularly her singing, has grown, it has allowed her to improvise and further develop her
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32
