On Friday, March 24, and running for two additional two weeks, our talented LBHS students performed the 1999 musical Mamma Mia in the Artists Theatre. The musical starred Brooke Lattin, TJ Simmons, Lila Goldstein, Scarlett Wheaton, Marco Calderon, Luke Bruderer, Chris Hemsley, Joe Joe Lieber, Mason Bruderer, Breea Hobrecht, Luxy Bynum and more. With director and choreographer Sabrina Harper and musical director Chantell Lewis, you could only expect excellence from this group of performers. 

“There is a passion here that is unexplainable,” said English and theatre teacher Meghan Minguez-Marshall. “I truly appreciate everyone in the theater department and their energy that keeps me going day-to-day.”

Although it is her first year at LBHS, Minguez-Marshall has learned to find many creative ways to inspire her students to do their best and has taken great pride in this fantastic group of teenagers. 

“Make sure to honor yourselves as artists,” Minguez-Marshall regularly reminds her performers. She wants her students to treat themselves and others as professionals, not high school students—she is passionate about allowing her students to decide what they believe would work best at times. 

“Bringing everything together with the technical elements is always the most challenging part because we have certain members that are stronger singers, dancers or actors, so finding a way to balance that all out takes a bit of time,” said Minguez-Marshall.

Mamma Mia is a charming musical about a 20-year-old bride-to-be named Sophie (Brooke Lattin) who was raised by a single mother named Donna (TJ Simmons). Struggling from the lack of a father figure in her life, Sophie invites all her possible dads—Bill (Luke Bruderer), Harry (Chris Hemsley) and Sam (Marco Calderon)—to her and her husband Sky’s (Jonah Goldstein) wedding. It is an emotional roller coaster, all within two hours. 

“There were many funny, dramatic and heartbreaking moments,” said sophomore and ensemble member Maris Morgan. 

Morgan worked alongside many of the directors and stage managers as the dance captain for the spring musical and demonstrated leadership in getting every cast member on stage, particularly in “Voulez-Vous,” the final song of Act I. 

“It was the only dance with every single cast member on stage, which is roughly 20 people,” said Morgan. “Getting everyone to do the same thing at the same time was a big challenge.”

Despite the challenges the cast and crew experienced backstage and onstage, everyone still had a blast doing what they loved. 

“Joe Joe and I, on multiple occasions, shared deep thoughts about how the world works for no particular reason,” said Morgan. “That is the beauty of theatre—the unexpected can happen at any point in time.”

The cast and crew members worked hard to emphasize the messages of the musical: Communication and honesty are the keys to true happiness, and we all deserve healthy relationships. 

The cast and crew on and off stage had worked very hard to put this production together. In fact, the opening night became the first packed house since the 2016 production of Cinderella!