‘Take a Chance on’ Student Theater
March 3, 2025
• Mamma Mia! Here we go again!
ABBA’s resonant disco-pop music powered the 1970s, but current-day high schoolers still sing along to “Dancing Queen,” “Super Trouper” and other hits thanks to “Mamma Mia!”
The jukebox musical-turned-movie is coming to Needham High School, where performers hope to transport audience members to the white shores of Greece to the tune of Swedish dance classics. The show opens Friday, March 7 at 7 p.m. at Newman Elementary and continues Saturday, March 8 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 9 at 2 p.m.
After discovering her mother’s old diary, Sophie (played by senior Mary Scott Dunn) invites three men to her wedding to discover which is her father. Her mother Donna (played by junior Mia Allen) reminisces on first loves and heartache as the Greek island prepares for the wedding.
It’s a story NHS senior Taylor Williams knows all too well — for Halloween in elementary school, she dressed as one of Donna’s Dynamos, the girl band trio in the musical. Upon the musical’s announcement, Williams, understandably, was very excited.
The Dynamos relationship mirrors that of Sophie’s friends Lisa and Ali, portrayed by Williams and fellow senior Lily Katz respectively. Their dialogue also reflects that of their older counterparts and points to the interconnected relationships across the cast, Katz said.
Following the prologue, the musical jolts open with “Honey, Honey,” wherein Sophie, Lisa and Ali read through Donna’s diary and learn of her love affairs.
“I love the energy, and we’re supposed to be so giddy and excited reading this,” Williams said of the musical number. “I also love ‘Voulez Vous,’ which is the closing of Act One. It’s the bachelorette party, and there’s a lot of dancing. It’s chaotic, but it’s really fun.”
That upbeat energy courses through the show, supported by a small group of leads and large ensemble, Allen said. She previously played Rosie in another “Mamma Mia!” production as a freshman.
Allen will step into the matriarch role of Donna, one that parallels her portrayal of money-strapped single mother Fantine in NHS’s production of “Les Miserables” last spring.
But the two musicals couldn’t be more opposite, and Allen said the upcoming show can offer a reprieve from the chaos in the world. Stepping into “Mamma Mia!” will allow attendees to “let yourself be a kid or a teenager again.”
“It’s easy to get down, to feel down about ourselves, to feel like we can’t have fun or feel free or appreciate the positive moments and relationships in our life, because everything else feels so harsh and oppressive, almost. And ‘Mamma Mia!’ is a way to get out of that,” Allen said. “It’s a night of fun and light and life and music we all know, we’re all familiar with.”
The show is punctuated with tender moments, including mother-daughter tearjerker “Slipping Through My Fingers” and the heartfelt duet “Our Last Summer,” but the cast expressed their love for the uplifting ending and big dance numbers.
The 62-student cast joins the wedding party to sing and dance at the show’s close. During bows, they’ll reprise the musical’s namesake and “Dancing Queen” before ending on “Waterloo.”
Director Kristen Mazzocchi described the musical as “a crowd pleaser.” She directed the musical at NHS five years ago, bringing it back now for a new generation of thespians.
“Whether it’s ‘Mamma Mia,’ ‘Dancing Queen,’ you’re just so happy when you hear them,” Mazzocchi said. “You’ve danced them with your friends in college or at weddings, and it just brings you back to that.”
The musical is also a return to form for friends Max Scott and James Casale. The pair played jock antagonists in a Needham Student Theatre production of “Heathers” last summer. Scott and Casale similarly provide comedic relief as two of the three potential dads.
As former headbanger Harry, Casale wields an acoustic guitar on stage, while Scott’s Bill acts as the “weirder” of the three. They’ll be joined by Miles Salerno, who plays Sam.
Casale pointed out their similarities to the three roles, prompting a rebuttal from Scott.
“I don’t know how much I would want to be in the Bill pot, but that’s O.K.,” Scott said.
“As much as he doesn’t want to admit that, he definitely fits at least a little bit,” Casale said.
The musical, however, becomes less about Donna’s past loves and more about the strength of mother-daughter relationships and the atypical family, Allen said. And unlike the typical musical, most audience members will enter the auditorium already knowing the melodies.
“There is something to be said about the power of pop music in a musical,” Allen said. “Everyone knows ABBA.”
Tickets are available on the NHS theatre program’s website.
