The first show of the year for West Potomac’s Beyond The Page Theatre Company kicks off with the musical version of the blockbuster movie, Mamma Mia!. The performances will take place in the Springbank auditorium on November 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 8th, and 9th.

When asked about why she chose to participate in the show, Nicole Jones, who will be playing Donna, mentioned her experience in other shows. She was apart of three shows last year at West Po, which she said were great experiences. Jones is also excited to be part of a show like Mamma Mia!, saying, “I knew since the moment he [Mr. Peelee Clark, theatre teacher at West Po] said Mamma Mia!, it was gonna be a fun show. I was like, I wanna have fun, I wanna dance to these songs, I wanna sing to these songs!” 

The show tells the story of Sophie Sheridan, who lives on the Greek island of Kalokairi with her mother, Donna. Sophie plans to marry her fiance Sky, but she wants her father there to walk her down the aisle. She reads her mother’s diary and narrows down her father to one of three men. She invites these men to the island for her wedding to discover who her real father is. The story is told through the use of music from the musical group ABBA. Performances of the show here at West Po will include all of the original music and characters from the movie.

A unique feature of the Beyond The Page Theatre Company’s production of Mamma Mia! is the inclusion of sing-along shows. During these shows, the cast encourages members of the audience to sing and dance along to the music. These special shows take place on November 3rd at 2:00pm and November 7th at 7:00pm. Jones explains the reason for these special shows is to increase audience participation. Because the music of the show is so well-known, the audience will have an excellent opportunity to feel apart of it. Jones expressed enthusiasm for these sing-along shows, stating, ”I’m just really excited to perform the show because we do have a couple sing-alongs we’ll be doing for the different performance dates. That’s just really cool because I feel like it’s such an interactive experience when you do have a sing-along, so I’m really, really excited for that.” She expects the interactive component to enhance and energize the atmosphere of the show, creating feelings of joy and enthusiasm. 

The cast and crew of Mamma Mia! are working hard to ensure the production will dazzle audiences. Jones says they started the rehearsal process by learning the music first. After that, they started to work on choreography. To add to the main cast members, an ensemble of actors and actresses will join the main cast members in various dances. In addition to music and choreography, the cast also works on blocking for each scene. Everything must be carefully planned out and practiced to ensure a successful performance. Through all this hard work, the cast hopes to create an amazing show that audiences will never forget. “It’s gonna be really fun and really good!” exclaimed Jones.

The West Potomac Beyond The Page Theatre Company is putting on seven showings of Mamma Mia!. The show begins at 7:00pm on November 2nd, 7th, 8th, and 9th. In addition, the show will be performed at 2:00pm on November 2nd, 3rd, and 9th. The interactive sing-along version of the show takes place at the 2:00pm showing on November 3rd and the 7:00pm showing on November 7th. Tickets for each show can be purchased online at the West Potomac Beyond The Page Website or at the door before each show.