Opening Night for La Salle’s “Mamma Mia” Is April 22
April 20, 2022
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Sophie, played by senior Ava Whalon, shows her best friends the old diary she found that once belonged to her mother.
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Donna, Tanya, and Rosie, played respectively by junior Izzy Simonutti, senior Shay Lough, and sophomore Evie Barrera, dance and sing their troubles away.
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The ensemble dances and sings in their colorful costumes under the stage lights.
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Sophie, played by senior Ava Whalon, has an important conversation with her potential father Bill, played by freshman Mateo Madrigal.
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Sophie, played by senior Ava Whalon, tries to convince her possible father Sam, played by senior Isaac Shirley, to stay on the island for her wedding.
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The opening night of La Salle’s “Mamma Mia” production will be Friday, April 22.
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Donna, played by junior Izzy Simonutti, gets support from her best friends Tanya and Rosie, played by senior Shay Lough and sophomore Evie Barrera.
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Islanders, played by the ensemble of the cast, peek out through the windows and doors of Donna’s hotel to see the commotion outside.
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Starting on Friday, April 22, La Salle’s theater department will be bringing the musical “Mamma Mia” to the stage.
“Mamma Mia” is set on a small island in Greece where Donna, a single mother, raised her daughter Sophie. Sophie, now 21, is engaged to her fiancé Sky. Her mother, Donna, is helping them prepare and plan for their wedding when Sophie discovers her mother’s old diary, with mentions of three men who could potentially be her father. She decides to invite all of them to her wedding, hoping that one of them could walk her down the aisle on her big day.
Lead choreographer Nikki Meyer said she is excited to see this show come to life, especially after the first La Salle play she was able to choreograph in 2020 was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. “[Seniors] have been waiting for so long to be able to do this,” Meyer said. “The last time they had the opportunity to do something like this for a musical was their sophomore year.”
For senior Aaron Leonard-Graham, this show is bittersweet as it is his final performance with La Salle. “I always say that my best memories were made in theater, and it just holds true to this day,” he said. “I’ve gotten to know so many people and I’ve built so many strong friendships, even long-lasting ones.”
Leonard-Graham will be playing the role of Sky, Sophie’s fiancé in Mamma Mia. “Playing this role, it’s been not only an exciting challenge for me but also something that’s new for me,” he said.
Shows will take place this weekend, April 22-24, and April 29-May 1. Shows on Friday and Saturday will begin at 7 p.m. and shows on Sunday will begin at 2:30 p.m. There will also be an understudy show on Thursday, April 28 at 7 p.m.
Tickets range from $10-12 and are available for purchase here.
Correction: April 20, 2022
Because of an editing error, some of the captions in the above photo gallery were mismatched with their appropriate photos. This has since been resolved.
