MOSES LAKE — The curtain goes up on a tale of lost love, family complications and a wedding on the beach as the Moses Lake High School Theatre troupe presents “Mamma Mia!,” opening Friday.  Sharon Winningham, drama advisor and director, said the musical has established itself as a classic.

“It is a beloved musical,” Winningham said. “The kids are excited. The parents are excited. There’s just something special about ‘Mamma Mia!,’” Winningham said. “‘Mamma Mia!’ is that show that they grew up on.”

The 1999 play is based on the music of the Swedish pop group ABBA, whose songs were part of the soundtrack of the late 1970s. It’s the story of Sophie (Ruby Nishida in the MLHS production) who’s about to get married. It’s all good – her mom Donna (Calissa Dalton) approves of her choice – but there’s a little bit of a glitch.

It’s always been just Donna and Sophie; the identity of Sophie’s dad is not exactly clear, and Donna doesn’t talk about it. Sophie, however, wants her dad at the wedding and tries to arrange that. OK, it’s more of – a situation.

Winningham said the show revolves around Donna, and Dalton said a pivotal role like that carries a lot of responsibility. She started preparing for the role even before auditions opened.

“Over the summer, I started getting more serious about the audition. I really did want (the role) and I wanted to do it justice,” Dalton said. “It (means) a lot of mentally preparing and being in the right mindset all the time. I leave everything outside – when I’m Donna, I’m Donna.”

Dalton said it’s an enjoyable role, and a good play.

“I love it – it’s so great. It’s probably one of my favorites,” she said.

Ashton Rodriguez, who plays Sophie’s fiancé Sky, agreed that it’s been an enjoyable experience, despite the work.

“It’s such a fun environment. It’s such a fun show,” he said.

“Mamma Mia!” features a lot of choreography, something that’s relatively rare for an MLHS musical, Winningham said. It’s a big challenge, but she felt confident after the 2024 production of “Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief.”

“I have always shied away from dance-heavy shows, but after ‘The Lightning Thief,’ I thought, ‘Yeah, we can handle this.’ And I knew some people who would love to do this show, adults who would love to help out. People have really been coming forward,” Winningham said.

Sophie and Sky are the center of a lot of the action, as well as the focus of a lot of the choreography. Rodriguez and Nishida said part of being successful in live theater requires teamwork.

“You have to trust each other,” Nishida said. “If something happens on stage, it’s live theater, and it happens, so you have to be prepared for it to happen, and to have a plan B.”

Rodriguez said in this case it also requires some acting.

“I think the biggest challenge is making it real, because we’re not actually a couple,” he said. “It’s hard to make that real, that we’ve known each other for so long and that we’re going to get married.”

It’s an advantage that they’ve known each other for a while, he said.

It’s a challenging show for the backstage crew, which is under the direction of MLHS junior – and backstage veteran – Maddie Burress.

“This is my first show with a leadership job,” she said.

The backstage crew is responsible for seeing that everything is in the right place at the right time. It’s up to Burress to make sure that happens.

“I’m in charge of making the prop list at the beginning of the show,” she said. “I’m also making sure everything is running smoothly backstage and giving other tech people directions.”

It’s a role that requires organization, she said.

“I’m a very neat person, so I always write down what’s happening in each scene, so I feel more confident with (saying), ‘We’re doing this, this and this,’ when I tell people what we’re doing,” she said.

Backstage is fun, Burress said.

“I like being backstage. I feel like it’s a lot less pressure than being onstage, and I like still helping with the production, even though I’m not seen,” she said.

Mamma Mia!

Presented by the Moses Lake High School Theatre troupe

7 p.m. Nov. 21, 22, 24, 25

2 p.m. Nov. 22

MLHS Theater, 803 N. Sharon

Tickets $15, $18 for evening performances, $12, $15 for matinee

    Donna (Calissa Dalton, center) is comforted by her friends Rosie (Emma Leavitt, left) and Tanya (Paisley Ashton, right) after some devastating news. The MLHS production of “Mamma Mia!” opens Nov. 21.
  

    Sky (Ashton Rodriguez, left) and best friend Pepper (Will Beck, right) go for a high five in the MLHS production of “Mamma Mia!”
  

    Sophie (Ruby Nishida, right), holds an uncomfortable conversation with one of her prospective fathers (Kaleb Stanberry, left) in “Mamma Mia!”
  

    The bride and groom and their friends get together for a celebration in the MLHS production of “Mamma Mia!”