The Lancaster High School Drama Club presented a preview of the play, Mamma Mia!, last week to a special audience of LHS students. The majority of the audience were students who received a positive referral for the third quarter. The play is a whimsical portrayal of a young girl who wants her father to walk her down the aisle for her wedding. The problem is that she doesn’t really know who her father is. The drama club members danced, sang, and delivered iconic quotes and lines from the popular feel-good musical. After the preview, the Drama Club performed the musical April 4th – 6th for the Lancaster community. Drama Club director Ryan Metzger described the overall performance of his crew.

“The audience’s reaction was phenomenal, and everything that I could possibly hope for for these actors and technicians! The show was exactly what I hoped it would be! I wanted it to be a love letter to rock ‘n’ roll, a story about hope, and a fun evening for everybody, and I think we tied everything in a beautiful knot,” he said.

A few LHS 9th grade students, who saw the Friday preview, said that they enjoyed the performance and remarked on the skill of the actors’ singing and dancing.
Bennett Bayat said that the play was very entertaining.

“My impression of the production was that it was really nice, and I liked how it was comedic at times but also sort of serious. I was most impressed with the skill of everyone in the preview for Mamma Mia! because it shows how hard they had been working to practice for this. I would describe the quality of acting, confidence of the actors, and quality of the singing as all being top-notch and very impressive,” he said.

Isabella Smith had high praise for the actors.

“Absolutely marvelous. The performers did incredibly. They moved in sync and on time. I personally found the main singer’s voice just captivating. The vocals were wonderful, perfectly on key, with a few singers adding little riffs or twists of their own. Absolute chills. The visual acting and moves looked nearly effortless; one actress easily performed Voulez-vous in high combat boots. Overall, I am astounded and intrigued and hope to see the full show this weekend,” she said.

According to Music Theatre International, the musical Mamma Mia! premiered in London in 1999. The musical made its debut in the United States on November 17, 2000 and has been performed in more than 40 countries and across five continents. It is based around the music from the Swedish pop band ABBA, one of the most popular international groups of all time (“Show History”).

LHS freshman Adam Hitchcock said that the LHS Drama Club’s rendition of the iconic songs from ABBA, was impressive.

“It was the best I have seen in a while. I really loved the first, second, and last songs. Their singing was really good. I think the actors did really well. Not only was their singing good, but their dancing, their movements, everything was amazing,” he said.

The LHS Drama Club spent weeks planning, rehearsing, constructing sets, and creating the proper lighting. Metzger said that their preparation was rather methodical.

“I look at directing theater like the difference between baking and cooking. When you bake, you put everything in the pan, put it in the oven, and pray it works. When you cook, you get to season throughout, change temperatures, flip things around, and constantly tend to the main ingredients. Directing theater is cooking, not baking. If you ask my team of actors and technicians, we did a lot of cooking until it was time for everyone to come together and do the show, and then it was baking,” said Metzger.

Now that the show is over and in the books, Metzger praised the students who pulled together to produce the musical.

“I am so proud of everyone who worked on this show, from the team who built the absolutely gorgeous stage to the light and sound team who mixed live—which is the hardest thing to do—to the incredible cast who devoted time and talent to make this show an amazing work of art. I am so lucky that I get to do what I do with a group of kids who are so passionate about creating art,” he said.