Mamma Mia Souvenir Full Color Program
From the Director’s Chair
Braden Dalton
Mamma Mia! Here I go again! My, my, how can I resist… making this the opening remark of this note from your loyal director? Welcome back to the Knights of Columbus Eggplant Theatre! Does it show again? My, my, just how much [we]’ve missed you? Now, Knowing Me, Knowing You, you have accepted the mission of enjoying another production inside these esteemed purple walls, and we hope to live up to the expectation! You could say that it’s The Name of the Game. This year is no exception, and we hope that you don’t want to leave When All is Said and Done.
This year has felt like a lifetime of preparation – many of us grew up Head over Heels listening to ABBA. Personally, my blue-velvet box set of ABBA albums has been a valued keepsake since an age I dare not mention. I can remember seeing Mamma Mia! in Las Vegas the summer my brother and I graduated from CCH – don’t worry, it wasn’t Our Last Summer to experience great memories together. The first time I remember saying I Have a Dream about this show happening in the Eggplant was the premature closing night of our production heading into the pandemic. It is hard to believe that we are here. Despite the sweat, the tears, the Should I Laugh or Cry moments, WE ARE HERE. We are home. Our family gets the chance to celebrate a wonderful story together with the new generation of student-performers who have risen above many challenges to get here.
Many see this as a fun ABBA musical. The music is instantly recognizable and irrefutably catchy. The movie was a Hollywood hit. No one will argue these base points. When it comes down to it, however, there are some important messages in the story of Mamma Mia! that not everyone can see. Our cast and crew have been working hard – they are a true group of Super Troupers – to tell you a story of an imperfect family coming to realize what is truly important in their lives. This story is for the families who don’t always understand each other (or themselves) but still come to realize that, even when Under Attack, they know the people who will always support them. This musical is about a daughter who thinks she knows what she wants but finds herself in trouble with her choices and a mother who lives with a past which unduly brings her shame but she makes the best of her circumstances because of her love for her child. In the end, both learn to forgive each other and themselves and that their love for each other is strong enough to weather the challenges that life sets in their path. In the end, the family that we have and choose to have leads us to where we belong.
This show is about you, Eggplant Family – the parents and children, teachers and students, and all of the people who help you to recognize your shortcomings (or opportunities for growth) and Move On in spite of everything. There are so many people to thank for this program and this opportunity, and I am sure that their names will be Slipping Through My Fingers, but thank you to Peter, Don, Annette, Carol, David, Laurie, Danielle, and Sarah (and everyone else who has made an impact) for your years of dedication and paving the way to this point; thank you to the Production Team for coming to the rescue at every SOS; thank you to my family for being ever-present; thank you to the cast and crew of Mamma Mia! who continue to Take a Chance on Me; and last but not least, Thank You for the Music.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show, if you dare! La question, c’est Voulez-vous?
