Mamma Mia! Northwest High School prepares to have the time of their lives with this year's musical (2024)

Mamma mia, it’s that time again. My, my, Northwest theater can’t resist.

Northwest High School is getting ready for a wedding with its musical production of “Mamma Mia!” The musical will be performed in the auditorium from Aug. 15-18.

“Mamma Mia!” is a jukebox musical about a young woman named Sophie trying to figure out who her father is before her wedding, while her mother, Donna, reconnects with her past and one of her old flames. Songs in the play all come from the catalog of ABBA, a 1970’s Swedish pop group.

The musical has been around for more than 25 years, with its most well-known adaptation being the Mamma Mia movie, starring Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried.

According to musical director and vocal music teacher Jeff Vyhlidal, this is the first time that Northwest has put on Mamma Mia, but people have been asking that the school perform the show for at least 10 years.

“It’s kind of an iconic show with all of the music that people have come to love from ABBA,” Vyhlidal said. “So we decided it was probably the year that we would finally do it.”

With 70-80 students performing onstage throughout the production, there are a number of reasons for why they joined the show and what they hope to accomplish.

This will be the first time that Shawn Brown, who plays Sophie’s fiancé Sky, will be in more of a leading role. According to Brown, he has always loved music, as it’s been a huge part of his life, and has always wanted to be a lead.

“I’ve always wanted to be a lead,” Brown said. “I’ve always looked up to those kinds of people, so once I got here, I was just grateful.”

Meanwhile, musicals have been a big part of the life of Emma Vyhlidal, who is performing as Tanya, an old friend and bandmate of Donna’s. Emma had previously been a leading lady in last year’s production of the “Mean Girls” musical and wanted to try to be lead this time as well.

“I just grew so close with everyone that was a lead and I just loved it so much that I just really wanted to be a lead again,” Emma said. “I just love this whole cast and being lead with everyone is so fun.”

Similarly, Riley Morgan, presenting as Sam Carmichael, Donna’s old lover and potentially Sophie’s father, fell in love with musicals since he first got involved. Morgan jumped at the opportunity to play a lead role, and finds aspects of himself in his character.

“I feel like Sam, he shows his emotions in different ways,” Morgan said. “I feel like I do almost the same thing, just the way I handle my emotions.”

For Leah Carlson, in the titular role of Donna, she finds ease in the singing portions of the role — she and the character are both altos. Plus, Mamma Mia is one of Carlson’s favorite movies, having seen it “probably a dozen times.”

“She’s always, always kind of a dream role,” Carlson said. “Like, her spunky little character is super fun.”

And what does the cast hope their audience takes away from the musical?

According to Carlson, much like the ABBA song, “Slipping Through My Fingers,” the show deals with change, and how people have to evolve and mold with the many things that can happen in life.

Emma thinks the show is about finding the inner child within, hoping that the audience will be able to have fun and feel alive.

Though Brown didn’t have an exact answer, he believes that there is one thing that the entire cast can agree on.

“We all want the audience to leave with some sort of impact on this musical,” Brown said. “I mean, it’s definitely important to all of us, so I hope we’re all able to portray that in a way people can leave and go, ‘Oh that’s [an experience].’”

The first production of the musical is set to open on Thursday, Aug. 15 at 7 p.m., with Friday and Saturday’s shows opening at the same time. The final production will be Sunday, Aug. 18 at 2 p.m.

Premium tickets for the show are $35, along with “extra little goodies,” according to Vyhlidal. There are also tickets available for $25 and $15, each dependent on seating options.

So prepare to dance, jive, and have the time of your life at the “Mamma Mia!” production.

“Everybody’s heard [the song] ‘Dancing Queen,’ and it’s just one big dance party,” Emma said. “It should be fun.”