I have seen many plays inside and outside of school, but “Mamma Mia’ has really captured my interest out of most of the plays I’ve seen. From Feb. 5-7, the musical play “Mamma Mia” took place in Fenton High ’s auditorium. “Mamma Mia” is originally a jukebox musical romantic comedy film produced by Judy Craymer, but the film is also often presented in many school plays. The musical is about a 21-year-old girl, Sophie Sheridan (Madeline Rodhe), who invites three men to an island in Greece to come to her upcoming wedding so she can find out which one of them is her father, as her mother, Donna Sheridan (Norah Stickle), doesn’t know either. The musical contains lots of comedic drama and romance between the main characters, which was very well presented in this FHS production.

When the curtains opened, they revealed a very impressive and beautiful setup of the island on which the musical takes place. The tavern really stuck out to me a lot; the vines on the building were so well done and detailed, and so was the tree painted onto one of the walls near the balcony above the tavern. These details on the structures created a better idea of what the island was supposed to look like, and it made me feel like I was on the island itself. Another eye-catching detail was the fountain towards the end of the stage. It was interesting how the water could come out of it and also stop, although it was not an actual fountain. 

The best part of the whole play to me was how emotional and well done the singing and acting were. The amount of emotion put into the songs, especially the song “Slipping Through My Fingers,” was very similar to the movie, and clearly represented the emotions at that moment when Donna was helping Sophie get ready for her wedding. Similar to all the other songs as well, the singing the actors did was very impressive and clear to understand what was going on and how the mood and tone of the song were supposed to feel like. It was more than just the emotion in their voices as well, but the little details like hand gestures and facial expressions also played a big part in understanding the impact of a situation more. The more comedic and humorous scenes were also well done too, they got many laughs out of the audience, including me multiple times. I thought one of the funniest parts was when Sophie and her soon-to-be husband, Sky Rymand (Elliot Green), were just about to have a romantic moment, and then his friends came in wearing diving fins to drag Sky away.

Another thing that stuck out to me was the background characters. Not only did they do a great job with dancing and singing, but I also noticed how well done the speaking and acting were when the spotlight was on the main character(s), and they were in the back. They weren’t even using their voice when “speaking” to each other, which is what stood out to me. It was a bit distracting from the rest of the main characters, but it was not anything I disliked, it did spark my interest though. I’m unsure if they could tell what the other person was talking about, but they all made each conversation very believable despite pantomiming their conversations. These details are important for making a play look realistic and to enhance a scene more. 

The whole play was an amazing experience for me to watch. There were so many details, small and big, that really enhanced a scene or situation. Again, the amount of emotions that each actor showed while singing or speaking made the play a better experience and really made it similar to the actual film. I would definitely suggest this play to anyone who enjoys a comedy with drama and romance to watch a play of “Mamma Mia”.