Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! A Look Behind the “Mamma Mia!” Curtain

BY KONSTANTINA SACOULAS ’26

On March 5 through 7, many members of the Jericho community took a quick trip to Greece to hear the popular songs of ABBA. No, it wasn’t another break, and no, they didn’t literally fly across the world; they experienced the Greek islands through the annual high school musical, “Mamma Mia!”

“Mamma Mia!” is a hit musical set on a beautiful Grecian island that focuses on main character, Donna, who is preparing for her daughter Sophie’s wedding. Sophie secretly invites three men from her mother’s past to her wedding, in hopes of meeting her real father and having him walk her down the aisle on her big day. As many theatre-goers were wowed by the sets, costumes, choreography, and sheer talent on the stage, they couldn’t help but wonder what really goes on behind the scenes of a musical here at the high school.

When picking out the musical, chorus teacher and musical director Ms. Elizabeth Owens had to ask herself the following questions: “Do we have the voices for it? Is it going to land with our community? Is it the right message?” For her, “Mamma Mia!” hit every mark.

The cast and crew each created unforgettable memories throughout rehearsals, but Ms. Owens’s favorite moment was watching her students have their breakthroughs on stage. Many students in the musical this year have never participated in theater before, so being able to find their comfort on stage was a very rewarding part of their experience.

Ms. Owens believed that the biggest challenge in putting on “Mamma Mia!” was that there were so many adjustments happening at last minute. Changing locations, singing with live music, and memorizing songs, dances, and lines after one run were just some of the many obstacles that the cast and crew faced. However, Ms. Owens asked her students to take ownership of these issues and learn from them. She also provided extra recordings and videos of rehearsals, so that the actors could be prepared and confident on opening night.

Ensemble performer Aasha W. ’27 recognized the special community that bloomed out of camaraderie and challenge. Aasha said, “I think the community and just how we progressed over the past few weeks, despite any challenges, is just amazing.” 

“Mamma Mia!” proved to be an incredible success, with a packed auditorium each night and raving reviews from the Jericho community who are all singing, “Thank you for the music,” to Ms. Owens, her cast, and crew.