TROPIC, Utah (April 20, 2023) — This week Bryce Valley put on a wonderful performance of Mamma Mia! for their school play. The cast, including Anne Overson as Donna and Taylor LeFevre as Sophie, are bringing the show to life four nights in a row for audiences to enjoy.
Mason Beesley, Loyd Roberts and Dallen Platt played the three reckless heartthrobs who each won poor Donna’s heart many years ago. Eli Beesley played Sophie’s fiancé, Sky.
Sophie invites the three men, Mason as Sam Carmichael, Loyd as Bill Austin, and Dallen as Harry Bright, to her wedding, hoping she will be able to tell if one of them is her dad. Disaster ensues, almost irreparably breaking the hearts of both mother and daughter.
The Bryce Valley cast brought many other enjoyable characters to life. Tanya, played by Brooke Willis, and Rosie, played by Bradi Gates, completed the inseparable trifecta Donna and the Dynamos. Oscar Word and Mason Ahlstrom played Pepper and Eddie, respectively. Together the cast put the audience through a range of emotions from nostalgia, to love and regret, to the troubles and ups and downs of growing up.
The Exciting Work of Learning a Character
To capture feelings and life stories that went into their songs, the cast members had to learn them really well. They each worked hard preparing the songs that made their characters who they were, from Harry’s “Our Last Summer” to Rosie’s “Take a Chance on Me.”
Brooke Willis, a senior, said the song she put the most work into was Tanya’s song, “Does Your Mother Know.” “It was very hard for me because it had a lot of partner dancing, and I’m not used to that, and I was very bad at the song,” she said. “And you have to really stay in character for that one, so that one’s probably my favorite, just because I put so much work into it.”
Some scenes, like Brooke’s, really challenged cast members’ abilities but came together at the last moment to create a great play.
Taylor LeFevre, a junior who played Sophie in the play, said, “I probably put the most work into ‘Under Attack.’ It’s still my least favorite scene, but it totally killed me because it’s really hard to act scared.”
Eli Beesley and Loyd Roberts shared similar feelings about “Lay All Your Love on Me” and “What’s the Name of the Game.” But overall it was a great experience for the actors to step out of their comfort zones and bring in different emotions.
Anne Overson, a senior, remembered how much trouble she had with the lyrics to “The Winner Takes It All,” but eventually decided it was her favorite. “I managed to finally get it,” she said, “and it was super fun to perform because it’s really satisfying to hit some of those notes and some of the character expressions that you have to do is really, well, I wouldn’t say fun, but it’s super exciting.”
The People Who Make the Play Happen
The Bryce Valley cast expressed extra appreciation to everyone who put work into making the play happen. They thought it was a great program because it brought attention to people who don’t always get to get seen.
“I think the biggest thing that makes theater so special in Bryce Valley is how close we are as a cast,” said Mason. “I’ve never been super embarrassed for making a mistake ‘cause I know my whole cast and we’re totally fine to laugh at each other and joke around.”
“I love the people who support us every day in practices,” said Anne, “like with Mr. Platt and Holly Willis. They do so much to get our dancing and singing on point. And I really appreciate that, and it just makes the whole play five times as amazing as it could have been otherwise.”
Loyd added that he’s heard so many compliments about how “people who probably would never really do [the play] or anything like this come together and do it, and it’s just amazing that way.”
Additional special thanks goes to C. Pete Peterson, Cary Deccio, Nathan Platt, Holly Willis, Melinda Overson, Andy Robinson, Joshua King, Carina Word, and at least 30 other community members for their contributions to costumes, set, choreography, sound, and lights.
Thank you for a great play, Bryce Valley. We’re excited to see you again next year!
– The Byway
Feature image caption: Bryce Valley’s Mamma Mia! had an entertaining ensemble and fun choreography. In this one, “Money, Money, Money,” Pepper bangs a giant drum while the cast alternates between banging on the ground and dancing.
Read about Bryce Valley’s “Happy Days” here.