Mamma Mia Review - Westminster School (yes, I went over my 1 rule)

“Mamma Mia”, performed by Westminster School
Monday 3^rd April, 2023
4.5 stars

We all know the story of Mamma Mia as we follow the 24-hour journey to the wedding of Sophie and Skye, or lack thereof. With music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, it’s the songs that we all know and love (or secretly love) that turn this jukebox musical into a story that we can all relate to in some way, but it’s the way the creatives have put their influence into this production that have made it more. I was fortunate to witness the talent from the “Benny” cast.

When one goes to the theatre, we expect to be directed to our seats, chatter until the lights dim and the music begins for the overture. Not this time! A bit of pre-production entertainment, featuring ABBA themselves, getting in the way of the captain’s housekeeping address began a night I’m not going to forget anytime soon.

During the overture, we see the many students involved in this production as they flow endlessly onto the boat, ready for the journey across to the Kalokairi. Lights dim, and we meet a new character, not previously known to the Mamma Mia libretto – “Dream Maker”. As Miss Cole opened the opening number with her talented vocals, it was obvious Westminster School was about to showcase some amazing talent. In her Dream Maker outfit, it was difficult to identify her as also playing Eddie – a connection I didn’t make until she returned once again for the reprise of ‘I Have a Dream’. (Cole also sung the Act 2 opener – ‘Under Attack’).

Miss Gomez had the mammoth task of pulling off Sophie. From the very first scene, Gomez had the role in the bag! Character choices made to portray Sophie were obvious and accurate from the moment she opened the story with ‘Honey, Honey’ through to the finale. Gomez’ performance throughout the entire musical was on par with the older cast members that made a large part of her team.

Donna (Miss Byrne), Tanya (Miss Nash) and Rosie (Miss Haby) made the perfect steps throughout every scene wherever they needed to create a familial bond that made the audience believed they had indeed been friends for 20+ years. The comedic timing behind the many one-liners delivered by any of these 3 roles weren’t missed and the audience appreciated every single one of them.

It becomes difficult to fulfil the requirements of a role when you haven’t truly experienced the emotions the character is meant to be feeling, but Byrne did an amazing job in doing just this – through the heartache in ‘S.O.S.’, the feeling of loss in ‘The Winner Takes It All’, and giving in to second chances in ‘I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do’ –she was able to pull it out of somewhere!

Overhearing comments at the end of the production, Nash’s rendition of ‘Does Your Mother Know’ was a highlight for many audience members, and I agree wholeheartedly that it was a performance not to be forgotten. Similarly, ‘Take A Chance of Me’ was a major highlight of the production with the to-and-fro between Bill and Rosie. The comedic timing within the choreography was on point, and Haby’s ability to run around endlessly after Bill and not lose breath while singing was impressive, but as the comedic portion of the trio, Haby had this covered in spades throughout the entire story.

To the dads: the defining accents between Mr Baldwin’s Sam, Mr French’s Harry and Mr Erhart-Bruce’s Bill were held for the entirety of the musical, which is always something I look out for. Great job. The relationship between the 3 potential dads was quickly established early in Act 1, opening the problematic opportunity for this to fade, but it never did. Rather, it grew as the story unfolded and they further entwined into discovering the true motives behind Sophie sending the invitations. French’s performance of ‘Our Last Summer’ was sweet and enjoyable and was great to allow a breather among the high energy. Similarly, ‘S.O.S.’ between Donna and Sam had the necessary tension from their unresolved issues that made it very believable, even for a young cast to portray.

A quick mention is needed for Lorraine (Miss Harradine), and her two boy’s as they sang ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’, was another nice touch showcasing inclusivity necessary for a school production. Similarly to Cole, Harradine’s talent needed to be showcased and I’m happy it was. It would have been a sad, missed opportunity otherwise. Mr Papst’s portrayal of Pepper as he was repeatedly rejected by Tanya in ‘Does Your Mother Know’ was entertaining and providing him the opportunity to show off his acro skills was a winner!

A successful cast doesn’t end with the principals – and the 40+ ensemble really took the musical to another level, leaving me with no option but to choose where I look during dance numbers, because they were everywhere! The ensemble sounded great, were in sync with their choreography majority of the time and felt connected during the quick scene changes they also participated in.

A special shout-out to the Flipper Crew! I haven’t seen an enthusiastic bunch of men in flippers on stage before, and their routine during ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ certainly challenged another recent production by a group of Uni students.

Director Catriona Byrne, MD Chris Gould, and Choreographer Sophie Wilson have proven to be a strong directive team that have been able to individually pull the best out of their students to ensure a single ensemble can be formed that performs at a level expected from professional amateurs.

The lighting design was distracting from some of the more powerful songs that were meant to captivate the audience. The use of a projected background allowed for minimal sets and provided the space to account for a large cast. I was relieved when the Donna & the Dynamo outfits, as well as the outfits of the Dynamo’s and the dads for the finale made their appearance. A shout out to the decision maker that decided to dress Sophie’s Hen’s night in white, except Sophie. It was different, and I loved it!

Final notes: I really hope that many of the cast further explore amateur theatre groups throughout Adelaide and surrounds. Constant exposure to the industry will further build upon that already existing talent – and more people deserve to see what you have to offer!

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Disclaimer: First names of minors have been removed for this blog post.