Ballinrobe Community School’s dancing kings and queens delight with ‘Mamma Mia!’

THE dancing kings and queens of Ballinrobe enjoyed their best possible opening night as a packed house sang, danced, laughed and clapped their way through one of the most joyous musicals of all time.

By the end, the audience were even out jiving amid scenes of euphoria that resembled a cross between a gospel praise break and a county-title homecoming.

If there’s one show that will bring a smile to your face and joy to your heart it’s ‘Mamma Mia!’

The songs are all ABBA (need we say more?) and the story is completely daft – but boy is it good for the soul!

Here we meet Donna Sheridan (Christina Taborszky) a workaholic single mother whose daughter Sophie (Faith Lally) is due to be married.

Sophie’s fiancée Sky (Jarred Alngohuro), and Donna’s old bandmates Rosie (Jessica McMurray) and Tanya (Laura Cresham) are all ready to have a ball on a heavenly Greek island before three familiar faces make an unexpected entrance.

Awkward hilarity erupts when three of Donna’s old flames Harry (Gian Carpio), Bill (Thomas Newrones) and Sam Carmichael (Ryan Keane) disembark on the invitation of Sophie, who is determined to have her father with her on her wedding day.

_{Students from Ballinrobe Community School during their production of 'Mamma Mia!'}

Usually you notice the odd mishap or detect a slight nervous apprehension among a cast on opening night.

Not so for this wonderful group of young people, who gave and received smiles, laughter and cheers of delight from an audience that were hooked right from the opening notes of ‘I Have A Dream’.

Faith Lally had an excellent chemistry with Katie Yates (Lisa) and Sophia McHale (Ali) who acted like actual besties who’d been a giggling unit since Junior Infants.

Our intrepid fathers-of-the-bride were funny and loveable in equal measure, as were every one the supporting characters.

As it has been for many years, the choreography was a class apart.

If they weren’t doing wall runs and backflips to put Mario to shame, they were tossing and lifting young maidens through the air without breaking a sweat.

The excellent, well put together set and summery youthful costumes had us right in the heart of the Meditterannean, where all-time pop classics like ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘Gimme Gimme’ were delivered with the gusto needed to do them justice.

They were regularly assisted from the crowd by a jolly busload of Davitt College students.

Reliving the joy of their own recent run of this unmissable jukebox show, the Castlebar crew sang, clapped, swayed and Mexican waved their way through a show that left young and old smiling from ear-to-ear.  

You’ll do well to come away from this production without having a similar reaction.

Get to it while you still can!

Ballinrobe Community School’s production of ‘Mamma Mia!’ continues in the school gymnasium this evening (Thursday) and Friday from 8.00pm nightly.