When the cast of Mamma Mia! takes the stage at Daniel Boone Area High School later this week, it will be the first time since 2019 that the school’s Musical Theatre Company will perform a live spring musical. The show is set for March 22-23, 2024 at Daniel Boone High School.
In March of 2020, Beauty and the Beast was canceled a week before the performance due to COVID. In 2021 when most COVID restrictions were still in place, the students presented, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, via Zoom. Since then, staff changes and other challenges meant the show couldn’t go on…until this year.
This senior class decided this year would be the year to rebuild the theater program. They found a faculty member to direct the theater program, and now the show is in production.
None of the Mamma Mia! cast members were at the High School in the spring of 2020 Beauty and the Beast was canceled one week before opening. However, many were at the Middle School, when the school’s production of Into the Woods was canceled that year two weeks before the show. Seniors Amanda Spotts and Megan Gerloff, who play Donna and Sophie, respectively, in Mamma Mia!, both had lead roles in Into the Woods when they were in 8th grade.
“It was definitely disappointing,” Gerloff said about the Into the Woods cancellation. “It was a strongly talented group of people. We were in a good place with the theater program at both the Middle School and the High School.”
Gerloff had strong feelings about reviving the school’s Theatre Company. “I was in everyone’s ear,” she said, “I’m absolutely ecstatic. We get to rebuild something really great.”
John Williams, who was the director of Into the Woods, in 2020, will reunite with many of his actors from that show, as a member of the orchestra pit crew.
The Mamma Mia! production team, which includes school faculty members and community members experienced in theater production, said there are a few reasons why this year’s show is so important to the High School community.
“Ultimately, the arts need to be in every student’s life. We know the arts are fundamental to a well-rounded individual,” said one of the production team members. “This show is very important to rebuild the theater program at the High School. It’ll serve as a foundation for the future productions at DBAHS.”
The cast of Mamma Mia! invites you to get ready to dance, sing, and fall in love with the ultimate feel-good musical. Mamma Mia! takes place on a sunny Greek island where Sophie dreams of discovering her father’s identity before her wedding. With ABBA’s timeless hits as the soundtrack, embark on a journey filled with laughter, romance, and unforgettable moments. Will Sophie find her father in time? Find out as the DBHS students bring the magic of Mamma Mia! to life on stage!
Mamma Mia! performances are March 22 and 23 at 7 p.m. and March 24 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10.00. For tickets visit: dboone.seatyourself.biz/
Mamma Mia! is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International. All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
