Attention all Lodi community members! Do you like watching LHS members get involved as a team to create an amazing show? If so, you should come watch the musical. The Lodi High School Musical of Mamma Mia is coming soon for everyone to see. The musical has everyone excited to see what it will bring this year. It is a great way to get involved in the community and meet new people.
Some members have even said the people they’ve met in the musical have become some of their closest friends. The community of the musical is very inclusive of everyone and has a variety of different people participating. Junior Jadyn Hellenbrand is playing one of the leads this year (Tanya) and has been having a great time bonding with others.
“I love the community, just like the whole group of people. It’s a really great group of people to just hang out,” said Hellenbrand. “Erica Bardwell, the director of the musical, gives the actors little plastic ducks for their accomplishments, which sparks some fire in the cast.”
There is something to do for whatever interests you. If you’re someone who doesn’t want a main part and just wants to try being on stage, you could be in the ensemble. If you have an interest in wanting to play a character and bring that to life, you can try out for a role. Maybe you like working behind the scenes and helping with lights, then stage crew could be your thing. Junior Caleb Rotzoll is the student director of the musical and loves to be on stage with the crew, even if he is in choir.
“I think this is going to be a really fun year for the stage crew. This show is unique in that there aren’t a lot of large set changes,” said Rotzoll. “We are more focused on smaller pieces this year, which should lead to a fun production for the cast and crew. By focusing on smaller pieces, like benches, for example, we allow the crew to have an easier role in the musical but still maintain the fun connections that come with it.”
Mamma Mia is filled with a bunch of classic songs such as “Honey, Honey,” “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” and “Mamma Mia.” These songs are catchy and are pretty well known all around the world. Junior Bentley Smith has a major role this year in the musical (Sam Carmichael) and has been really enjoying the songs in this year’s musical.
“One of my favorite parts is definitely the songs we get to sing. It’s all Abba. So it’s a lot of memorable songs that everybody knows, so they’re pretty easy to remember,” said Smith.
The musical has everyone excited to see what it brings this year. It takes a lot of time and dedication from everyone involved, so come support the musical this year. The show dates are November 11th at 7:00 p.m., November 12 at 2:00 p.m., November 17 at 7:00 p.m., and November 18 at 7:00 p.m. All shows are in the PAC, so make sure to mark your calendars!
