Mamma Mia! Korah students busy rehearsing for upcoming shows

Korah Collegiate Musical Theatre students are pumped and rehearsing for their production of Mamma Mia! later this month.

The story of Mamma Mia! — a musical romantic comedy — involves the character of Sophie, a young bride-to-be who invites three men to her upcoming wedding.

Any one of the three men — Sam, Harry or Bill — could be Sophie’s father, the woman hoping to discover which one is her father and have him give her away to her fiance Sky at the wedding.

Sophie’s mother Donna is a major character in the show.

Its characters perform the songs of Swedish supergroup ABBA as the story’s soundtrack.

First appearing as an onstage musical in 1999, Mamma Mia! was later released as a feature length film in 2008 with an all-star cast including Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan.

Korah Collegiate Musical Theatre’s production of Mamma Mia! is directed by Denine Williams, Korah Collegiate music teacher, the show produced by Korah students Gianna Spironello and Jeffrey Chen. 

Spironello, a Gr. 11 Korah student, portrays Donna, Sophie’s mother.

“Donna is a very complex character. She’s very emotional. She’s very empathetic. She feels very deeply for her daughter and she just wants to set a good example for her,” Spironello told SooToday at a rehearsal held at Korah Thursday.

The student cast began preparing for Mamma Mia! in September, rehearsals starting in earnest in January.

Spironello started performing in Korah Collegiate Musical Theatre productions with Frozen Jr., following up with Into the Woods last year.

“I’ve really found my passion in musical theatre,” Spironello said.

A singer for the past 10 years, she said that her acting and singing role in a production such as Mamma Mia! is a natural fit for her.

Spironello’s goal is to study performing arts at New York University (NYU) after graduation from Korah.

Jeffrey Chen, a Gr. 12 Korah student, plays Sam, one of Sophie's possible fathers.

“This is my second year in theatre. I was in the orchestra for Frozen Jr. and I met a lot of really, really lovely people who had onstage roles so then I decided to give it a shot. I was one of the leads for Into the Woods,” Chen said.

Chen has played the violin for 13 years but said that going to the stage from the orchestra, while being a different experience, is not too far of a transition for him. 

“I feel like the violin is an extension of myself and I can equate that with playing a character, so the character is an extension of who I am.”

“It’s about performance at the end of the day. I’ve always loved the act of performing. I just like the feeling of making people happy with something I’m able to produce. I’m looking forward to the Mamma Mia! performances very much,” Chen said.

He plans on majoring in neuroscience and minoring in music at university.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Chen said of his role in Mamma Mia!

“The music is really catchy. It’s ABBA. They’re the best thing from Sweden since Swedish meatballs,” he laughed.

Melody Shafiee, a Gr. 11 Korah student, plays the character of Tanya, a friend of the show’s Donna character.

“I love playing Tanya. She's a very classy character,” Shafiee said.

She began performing with the Korah Collegiate Musical Theatre with last year’s production of Into the Woods.

“It was really fun. You make so many good memories with your friends and it’s just so much fun to work on a big project together with everyone,” Shafiee said.

She said that she is enjoying her Mamma Mia! role thanks to a background in singing and music, adding that she wants to pursue a musical career after high school and university.

“The Musical Theatre program at Korah produces leaders. This production is a great example,” said Denine Williams, Korah Collegiate music teacher and Mamma Mia! director.

“Over the years I have seen students become amazing leaders within their communities because of participating in the music programs. Students have worked at the UN, become bank presidents, Juno award winners, work at Tesla, Facebook, and the list goes on and on,” Williams said, reflecting on her years of teaching at Korah.

The cast of Mamma Mia! performed some of the show’s songs, including Dancing Queen, at an Algoma District School Board meeting Feb. 6. 

Mamma Mia! runs from Wednesday, Feb. 21 through Saturday, Feb. 24 at Korah Collegiate's auditorium.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the musical presentation begins at 7 p.m. Feb. 21 through 23.

Doors open at 12:30 p.m. and the musical presentation begins at 1 p.m. on Feb. 24.

Tickets are available for purchase in advance - $25 for adults and $15 for students and seniors - at Korah or Station Mall Box Office.

Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $30 for adults and $20 for students and seniors.

A pasta dinner - a fundraiser for Korah’s Musical Theatre program - will be held at the school’s cafeteria at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 23.

Tickets must be purchased in advance and are $45 for adults, $30 for students and seniors.

With Williams as director and Spironello and Chen as producers, Elizabeth Moran serves as Mamma Mia! artistic director and Gabriella Clayton as choreographer.