Tamar is in a high school musical

Last evening, we went to Northhampton to see a production of Mamma Mia, a "juke-box" musical written by Catherine Johnson and based on songs made popular by the Swedish band ABBA, composed by Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus, members of the band. Tamar auditioned for one of the lead roles, but had to settle for being a member of the ensemble. She is a Junior. She is hoping for a more major role in next year's musical. I knew nothing about this musical, despite it's being one of the longest running shows ever, both in England, where it originated, and on Broadway, where it had a 14-year run! I was not particularly impressed by the musical itself, either book or songs. But the students obviously poured their hearts into it and it had amazing energy. Some of the voices were very good, particularly, Donna, who is the mother, and Sophie, her daughter. The plot, such as it is, is sort of crazy. Sophie has been raised by her mother, and does not know who her father is; her mother refuses to discuss the issue. The show, which is set in Greece (not sure why), opens with Sophie about to be married, and she has invited to the wedding (without her mother knowing), three men, each of whom she thinks could be her father. She hopes that by meeting them, she will learn the truth and be "given away" by her true father. That sets up a pretty wild ride of encounters between and among the principals - the three men, Sophie and her mother, as well as a wide variety of friends and other family members (and three Greek goddesses, who function like a Greek chorus). But the plot is nothing more than a showcase for a lot of songs. Although everyone was miked, I could barely understand any dialogue or lyrics of songs. But it hardly mattered. The choreography was particularly effective, I thought. The costumes were well-done; the set was very spare. Tamar had one scene at the opening in which she sat at a table with another girl, and we were close enough (row 4) to be able to hear her singing and I got an unusually good photo (flash photography was prohibited but I didn't need flash). The audience was very enthusiastic, particularly the girl sitting in front of me, who screamed her head off after each song. So it was a high energy experience, and that was unusual in this time of COVID, to say the least. The entire audience was masked - a requirement (if you forgot to bring one, you were given one when you came in). There was no requirement to be vaccinated. I saw only one member of the ensemble wearing a mask. We saw Tamar after the show and gave her a bouquet of rose buds, and took her home. Her parents, and Katie, Savanna and Brendon, are all coming to the Saturday performance. Tamar seemed pleased with last night's performance - it was the opening show. There were no glitches. There was a pit band, so the music was live, and it was well-done, if a bit loud. So - well done, Northhampton high school! Please give Tamar a worthy role next year! (And let it be in a really high-class musical!).

A good photo of Tamar (at right) fairly up close

Ensemble scene - Tamar is up on the balcony somewhere

Finale scene

The program booklet

Tamar's bio entry in the program