By ABBY TYSON

Here we go again, bragging once more about one of the fascinating performances that the Bellefonte Area High School Drama Club offered to the community between April 25 through to April 27.

The cast and crew took community members back to the Dreek island landscapes of the 2008 movie Mamma Mia!, marked with some of the most notorious songs from the band ABBA. It was quite a performance to remember, and it will be remembered for perhaps the rest of Bellefonte’s history as one of the most fun, entertaining musicals that the school has ever hosted.

I attended the performance on opening night, April 25, with two of my senior friends. Having a sister in ensemble and various other friends scattered throughout the musical in different roles, I just couldn’t resist buying a ticket and dragging my friends along with me to watch the show. Almost every person I talked to, however, warned me about attending the show on opening night. If you didn’t know, opening night is typically the night when most mistakes are made by just about everybody. The cast, the crew, the musicians – any mistakes because of the stress and the fright that may come on the first night. Yet, I went anyway, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the result.

The show seemed flawless to me. It was impressive how well versed the cast was and how smoothly the crew transitioned from scene to scene, especially after considering the many new members there were in the musical. It was a performance that nobody will ever forget.

“This was my very first performance with the drama club and it’s one of those things where you do it once and can’t remember a time without it, truly a great time,” sophomore Nathan Taylor said.

There was so much going on with the production: dancing, singing, and even conversation between characters. The mass ensemble was able to dance to their parts while giving the stage to the main cast members. The dimensions of this show was utterly fascinating. Parents were even dancing along with the students of the ensemble and the cast during some of the songs.

“This show has so many complex parts, but there is nothing better that seeing people dancing along in the audience. We gave them that feeling with this show,” senior Mykhala Richner said.

The casting was perfect for the roles. The music was stunning. Just the amount of people involved in the production could (positively) surprise just about anyone in Bellefonte or even the surrounding communities. The amount of time that is put into the drama program at the Bellefonte schools is something very, very unique. The drama club puts forth so much intense effort to make every production stunning. The students involved are so dedicated to the program and to their production. Yes, I said it – this production doesn’t just belong to the school, but to the students.

“Being Student Director for my last show was like a dream. This entire show was such a surreal experience, and I’m so happy that I got to spend it with my drama family,” senior student director Kayla Fleming said.

Being involved with Bellefonte’s Drama Club is like joining a new family for many of the students. They all spend so much time together with practices and especially during tech week. A group of students coming from all different kinds of backgrounds are able to come together to produce a show with their entire hearts involved. They want to produce a show not just for the community, but also for themselves. For their “drama family.”

“There are some shows in theatre that break through your heart and fills your soul so you never want to stop doing it. Mamma Mia! is one of those shows, you just get up on stage, sing the songs, watch the characters blossom and it feels like everything’s right. Then again it could just be the amazing people who worked to make it possible that makes me feel that certain way. It was truly special to share this show with the community,” senior Anna Kate Scott, Mamma Mia!’s “Tanya,” said.