Mamma Mia! Opens At Framingham High Thursday

The Framingham High School stage has been transformed into the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi as students are getting ready for their opening night Thursday. With 60 students in the cast and 40 students working backstage in the crew, the show has had all-hands-on-deck in preparation for the big night.

The show uses hits from ABBA to lead the audience on one young woman's journey to find her birth father, finding three men from her mother's past along the way. The show is co-directed by drama teacher and producer Christopher Brindley and Donna Wresinski, the district’s Director of Fine and Performing Arts. Wresinski says the show was special since the students were able to play roles close to their own ages.

The students have been rehearsing the jukebox musical for months and Wresinski says they're hoping for a full house. "What this show needs is an audience. We hope people come in knowing the music and leave singing along," she says. For students in the show, the theater is not just a hobby but could be a future. "We've had students go on to Framingham State, study music and theater, work in theater. The students know that is a possibility for their future," Wresinski says.

A big reason freshman Rachael Elbl chose to go to Framingham High School was the theater program. Rachael is part of the ensemble in Mamma Mia. "This is her first time doing theater at this level," Tricia Elbl, Rachael's mother, says, adding how impressed she is by the organization and management of rehearsals. Dedication to the theater show in the students work. Elbl says her daughter was also apart of the school's production of Peter and The Star Catcher, "At one point they were rehearsing two shows, its a lot but she loves it," she says.

As the district director of fine and performing arts, Wresinski has seen and been apart of plenty of school plays but something surprised her about the cast of Mamma Mia. With six adult roles the high school students had big shoes to fill, but Wresinski says they pull it off effortlessly. "When you're watching the show you know who the adults are and you know who the kids are," she says, adding that it's an ode to the work the students have put in, from the cast to the lighting and costumes.

The show opens at Framingham High School Thursday night at 7 p.m. There are also performances at 7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, Dec. 13, and Dec. 14. Tickets are available at showtix4u.com.

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