——By Cathy Zhou ‘21 and Paige LaMalva ‘20
This year’s St. Mark’s annual musical production was “Mamma Mia !” The main character, Donna (played by Mary Flathers ‘19), is a self-employed hotelier in the Greek islands. She is helping her daughter, Sophie (played by Cait Lochhead ‘19), to plan out her extravagant wedding. Meanwhile, Sophie, the spirited bride, has another plan. She secretly invites three men from her mother's past in the hope of meeting her real father and having him escort her down the aisle on her big day.
St. Mark’s Musical Club has a long history. Founded by Ellis Gage ‘17 five years ago, it is a student-led club that puts on a musical in the spring every year. The club holds auditions in early October, and it takes six months of preparation to put together the production. This year, the club has over sixty members across all four forms in its cast and crew. “We are so excited to perform for the community because we have worked so hard to make the show the best it could possibly be,” said the head of the musical club, Shelby Howard.
“Mamma Mia!” was a very intentional choice. According to Shelby, the club chose to perform this musical because of its lively music. “The music in Mamma Mia is all songs that were performed and written by ABBA. Every single song in the show is a jam, including hits like Dancing Queen, Voulez Vous, and The Winner Takes it All.”
According to one of the leading actors, Tommy Flathers ‘21, his favorite part was the song “Slipping Through My Fingers,” Libby Flathers ’21 and Shelby Howard ’19 said that they are most excited for the song “Voulez Vous”. This song is set in a scene at a bachelorette party where Sophie attempts to find out who her father truly is. Lead actress Libby Flathers explained, “We worked so hard on that song. It’s going to be really fun, and I hope the audience enjoys the show.” Shelby Howard ‘19 talked about how the show is full of high-intensity and fun choreography.
Shelby Howard spoke to us before the opening night, Friday 26th. “Opening night is so special because everything comes together like magic. It is also super exciting to see so many kids put themselves out there, and sing and dance for our community. We have an amazing cast and crew, and I could not be more proud of them!” This performance is patiently awaited by the St. Mark’s community yearly. Faculty, students, and friends all gathered to watch their peers put on this incredible student-directed show.
”Mamma Mia!” video link (by SM Funny Movie Corporation): https://youtu.be/pNXzTFIHfto
