M o u n t S a i n t J o s e p h A c a d e m y

The Campanile

MSJA’s “Mamma Mia!”Volume LX, NUMBER 1.75 October 2019

Cast List:Ava Alessandrini

Abby AliseskyMadison AllenJaylen Baron

Margaux BarrettLaura BennettGianna Branca

Veronica ChericoKarli Cottom

Maggie DanchakAlexandra DobbsMadeline Eiser

Anna EmmaCarina EscobarMaddie EtkinSarah Farrell

Bella FelicianoEmily FerraroNora FurlettiKitty Grogan

Mackenzie GuidaSophia HallquistSophia Henkel

Caroline JakubikAva KnausArlyn Kryst

Alexa LeckroneMadison LoStracco

Erin MaguireSofia Marrero

Francesca MarroneElla Martin

Avery MassanovaMaura MayhewJenna McCrea

Molly McKennaKayla McSorley

Uma PadmanabhanMaggie Pensabene

Christie PerkinsMaureen Phelan

Dina RathkeGrace Rowello

Rose SchankweilerHaley Stefanik

Adriana StepienAmilyn ThomasGrace Toriello

Stage Crew:Gianna Angelos

Elena Barton November 1, 2, 3, & 7, 8, 9

By The Campanile

Here we go again! The Mount is preparing to present its annual fall musical. This year: “Mamma Mia!”

Inspired by the music of the ’70s pop group ABBA, “Mamma Mia!” tells the story of Sophie (senior Jenna McCrea), a young bride-to-be searching for her birth father. The only problem: she has three possible dads, and not even her free-spirited mother, Donna (se-nior Gianna Branca), knows which one is the real father. Determined to have her dad walk her down the aisle, Sophie invites all three, and in the process reunites Donna with an old flame.

“Mamma Mia!” is a show that is notably female-centric, focusing heavily on the mother-daughter relationship between Sophie and Donna, and the strong friendship of “Donna and the Dynamos,” a “Girl Power Band” including Donna, jokester Rosie (senior Ella Martin), and diva Tanya (senior Caroline Jakubik).

“When choosing a show, we al-ways look for one that has strong female leads who are women of character and strength,” said Di-rector Mrs. Maggie Doyle.

A show packed with dynamic female characters, “Mamma Mia!” certainly meets the criteria.

McCrea described the show as “a heartwarming story of a daugh-ter and her mother strengthening their bond, with a few bumps along the road.”

Though “Mamma Mia!” ex-plores Donna’s and Sophie’s ro-mantic relationships as well, the heart of the show always comes back to the love between a mother

and her child.Branca described Donna as “a

single mom who built a business and a life for herself.” She added, “One of my favorite lines in the show is when Tanya, one of Don-na’s best friends, calls her the ‘icon of female independence.’”

Donna’s best friends, Rosie and Tanya, showcase contrasting per-sonalities, yet the same spirit of female independence.

“I really admire Rosie because she doesn’t care what anyone thinks about her,” Martin said about her role. “She’s hilarious and is pretty much always cracking jokes.”

“Tanya knows who she is and never lets anyone change her,” said Jakubik. “She loves attention and glamour, but she’s a good friend first.”

Friendship plays an important role in “Mamma Mia!” on and off-stage. Though the four male leads (all LaSalle seniors) may be vy-ing for Sophie’s attention onstage, offstage they have a bond as cast-mates.

“I enjoy the camaraderie be-tween my castmates,” said Jake Pensabene, who plays Sam, one of Sophie’s possible fathers.

Matt Tomlinson, who plays Har-ry, another of Sophie’s possible fa-thers, emphasized “how much fun each of the songs and scenes are in the entire show.”

Jake McCabe plays the third of Sophie’s possible fathers. He said, “I enjoy how great the cast works together and the ways we explore our characters.”

Sean Corr, who plays Sky, So-phie’s fiancé, also emphasized the cast’s camaraderie. He said, “I love working on the full-cast numbers

because we always have a lot of fun with them.”

As choreographer, Ms. Kathleen Ochs is responsible for the exciting dance numbers in the show.

“My favorite numbers in a mu-sical are always the songs that in-volve the full cast,” Ms. Ochs said. “I love the energy and fullness on the stage.”

Student choreographer, junior Jaylen Baron agrees. “It is a show that has an incredible leading cast, as well as upbeat numbers that will make you want to stand up and dance.”

As student choreographer, Bar-on has choreographed her own number and helped Ms. Ochs with rehearsals.

Senior Christie Perkins, student director, holds a special role in the production.

“My biggest responsibility is being Mrs. Doyle’s, the director’s, ‘right hand,’” she said. “This group is full of so many extremely tal-ented people. Plus, it’s such a fun show that will leave you playing ‘Dancing Queen’ on repeat!”

“All of the music is extremely catchy and fun,” said Music Direc-tor Ms. Danielle Molan. “Every single song except one includes ensemble parts, and usually comes with some tricky harmonies. It’s a huge undertaking for the cast, and everyone is doing a great job!”

Packed with nostalgic hits like “Mamma Mia,” “Dancing Queen” and “Super Trouper,” this show, in the words of Branca, “is like a party in a musical.”

Join the cast of “Mamma Mia!” on the first two weekends of No-vember for what the directors call “an unforgettable show.”

Gabrielle BasiuraKendall BockletTaylor Conklin

Sophia DiGregorioMary Kate DuffyCecilia Funchion

Evelyn HainesAnna Huber

Mary KearneyJustine LampeClare LetendreMegan McCannEmma McGinnis

Regina PrincivalleJulia SchalleurNasya Stinson

Lily WoodNicole Woods

Orchestra:Alyssa Charlton

Giovanna ConsiglioIsabella Goebel

Kerry Anne MoserCecilia Nguyen

Alexis Tran

Producer/Director:Mrs. Maggie Doyle

Musical Director:Ms. Danielle Molan

Choreographer: Ms. Kathleen Ochs

Accompanist: Mr. Nile Weber

Orchestra Conductor:Mr. Bill Whitaker

Costumer: Mrs. Ellen Byrne

Assistant Costumer:Ms. Caroline Byrne

Tech Manager: Ms. Julia Miller