BCMA to bring ABBA bops

AN ABBA jukebox musical will be brought to life by Ballarat Centre of Music and the Arts students.

Next month, the school’s senior musical theatre performers will take the stage for an adaptation of Mamma Mia!

The show will boast nearly 40 students belting out classic tunes from Swedish pop group, which director and artistic director Paula Heenan said will be a highlight of the show for many.

“The audience can really look forward to hearing songs they know, and everyone’s encouraged to sing along,” she said.

“Even though it’s a different generation of music, the kids are quite familiar with it so the trick is adding in the harmonies and complexities.”

The story follows a young bride-to-be who wants to know who her father is.

Based on the eponymous 1999 musical written by Catherine Johnson, later adapted into a 2008 film, the show’s story is based around ABBA classics and follows a young bride-to-be who invites three men, all of whom could be her father, to her wedding.

The cast is aged between 13 and 18 years old. Heenan said the production has introduced a range of firsts for the young performers.

“We really haven’t done any jukebox musicals in this style before so this is something that should excite the audience and the performers,” she said.

“We’re also performing with a live band as well as pit singers so that’s a big step for this particular group of students.

The teenage cast are enjoying being challenged by the musical arrangements and themes.

“The fun moments are really balanced with the sensitive moments. These young adults are performing as older characters, and they’re portraying the sensitivity and the romanticism of these characters really well.”

BCMA’s Mamma Mia! will be held at Mount Clear College’s Gay E. Gough Theatre at 6pm on Saturday 10 August, and 3.30pm on Sunday 11 August.

Tickets are between $40 adult and $20 for children under 16 years old and are available at bit.ly/4bVcTn4.

The show will run alongside its junior production of Frozen Jr.