Strathmore Theatre Players Guild presents Mama Mia!
By John Watson Local Journalism initiative Reporter
Photo Courtesy of Danuel MacKenzie
The Strathmore Theatre Players Guild (STPG) is preparing to finally present their performance of “Mama Mia!” now that COVID-19 restrictions have lifted.
Jette Brown, director and designer of the show, said the cast and crew originally started preparing to present the show in 2019.
“We didn’t realize what a big project it was that we took on and how long the project would be. We started planning this in 2019, started rehearsals at the end of 2019 in the fall and we were proposing to perform it in April and May 2020,” said Brown. “We worked through four months of rehearsals when COVID-19 shut everything down in March 2020. We postponed the production – the costumes had been created and the set had been partly built and painted.”
By the time major closures had been set in place and it was known that the production of the show would not move forward, there were only weeks before the curtain was set to lift on opening night.
Now that the show is to go on, there will be eight performances over a two-week period, beginning May 4 at Hope Covenant Community Church.
“Having devoted, apart from the gap of two years in the middle, I’ve spent four years with this at the back of my mind, or at the front of my mind. It will be an absolute joy to see it performed in front of a large audience,” said Brown. “Hopefully … all the cast will receive the accolades that are due them because they have done a fantastic job getting this production up and running.”
This will be the first time the STPG has presented Mama Mia! The team has, however, performed musicals in the past, such as “Kiss me, Kate,” and “The Sound of Music.”
Two of the performances of Mama Mia! will be special sing-along shows, as Brown points out, it is “very difficult for people not to sing along.”
“It’s such a lively, joyful experience. It’s just fun to be involved in the production, so we just want to share it with an audience,” said Brown.
The show will run from May 4 until the 14 with each show beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the Hope Covenant Community Church. Tickets can be purchased online through Eventbrite.