Cliffside Park Drama Club’s Rendition of Mamma Mia!
From Thursday, May 9th through Saturday, May 11th, Cliffside Park’s drama club performed their unique presentation of the popular musical, Mamma Mia! As if the vibrant props weren’t enough, the stunning performances by each member of the equally talented cast resulted in resounding applause from an audience consisting of supportive staff, students, and family!
Written by Catherine Johnson, Mamma Mia! takes place on a charming island off the coast of Greece, a country whose reputation is marked by the intermingling of romance and drama, two themes that manifest themselves through impressive musical performances. I had the pleasure of attending the final performance that took place on Saturday, May 11th. From the moment the curtains opened, the immense work that had gone into the production of Mamma Mia! became apparent. The show ended with the release of confetti and bouquets for the cast members and directors. With the help of director, Therese Rembecky, musical director, Christine Shawala, along with choreographer, Alex Velasquez, and media assistant, Andrea Romano, the cast was able to capture the music and magic of the Mamma Mia!
With her daughter’s wedding just days away, Donna (Allison Mioduszewski/Allyson Derick), invites her old friends, Rosie (Arelis Rodriguez/Karina Hidalgo) and Tanya (Maya Hovav), to help her prepare for the big day. Sophie (Aybige Levent), on the other hand, has an agenda of her own. Struck by the mystery of her father’s identity, Sophie decides to do some digging into her mother’s past. After reading Donna’s diary, Sophie finds the names of three men, all of whom she believes could be her father. Without her mother’s knowledge, Sophie invites all three of the men to the island, hoping to have one of them walk her down the aisle on her big day.
The three men, Sam, Harry, and Bill, arrive on the island and the trio soon realizes why they are there after learning that they all have one thing in common - Donna. Each of the men ends up believing that they are Sophie’s father, leading to a series of awkward interactions between Donna and her former flings, but none of the three seem to stand out to Donna as much as Sam (Diego Galindo).
In an unforeseen turn of events, Sophie calls off the wedding to her would-be fiancé, Sky (Elusive Grajales), which is followed by Sam’s unorthodox proposal to Donna after nearly twenty years of separation. The play’s vivacious leads, Allison Mioduszewski and Aybige Levent, delivered a tremendous performance, as did their male counterparts, Diego Galindo (Sam), Wilmer Murillo (Bill), and Brian Elias/Alex Rodriguez (Harry).
After experiencing Cliffside Park Drama Club’s performance of Mamma Mia! firsthand, I am certain that many of those in attendance, including myself, will be anxiously awaiting next year’s productions. Once again, congratulations to each and every member of the Drama Club, from the actors and actresses to the directors and crew on your phenomenal performance!
Cast
Donna - Allison Mioduszewski/ Allyson Derick
Sophie - Aybige Levent
Rosie - Arelis Rodriguez/ Karina Hidalgo
Pepper - Yu Bin (Alice) Kil
Tanya - Maya Hovav
Sam - Diego Galindo
Sky - Elusive Grajales
Harry - Brian Elias/ Alex Rodriguez
Eddie - Carina Carrasquillo
Bill - Wilmer Murillo
Ali - Thays Moscat
Ashley - Isabella Hallak/ Seyma Binis
Lisa - Andrea Cardona/ Melissa Montijo
Lori - Madeline Murillo/ Kenya Rodriguez
Chorus - Kaitlyn McKee, Sofia Loaicono, Carla Paz Almonte, Evelin Villatoro, Megan Forro and Juliette Morel