P-CEP Park Players open last play of the year with ‘Dinner and a Show’
The full cast wraps up Act 1 with the song “Voulez Vous.” April 8, 2023.
The P-CEP Park Players Theatre Company put on their first two performances of the popular musical “Mamma Mia” on April 7 and April 8, collaborating with the culinary department on opening night for the first ever “Dinner and a Show” event.
Sponsored by the school congresses in collaboration with the Park Players, guests were first served a three-course meal by the staff of the Rock Cafe before proceeding into the theater to watch the production.
“It was fabulous. The cafe looked beautiful, the tables were wonderful and the service was amazing,” said Carolyn Costantino, Canton social studies teacher.
The creative partnership gains more meaning as Diana Woodward, P-CEP’s Hospitality and Culinary Arts instructor, is an alumni of the Park Players and was happy to support both programs.
“Programs like these give students the opportunity to work with intensity, creativity and passion to create something amazing,” said Woodward.
The two hour show, which sold over a thousand tickets, opened with the first number “Honey, Honey” and ended with the song “I Have A Dream.”
The story surrounds the main character Sophie Sheridan (Lauren Hummer, Canton senior) in the midst of getting married on the island run by her mother, Donna (Zoe Mihalic, Salem senior). Raised only by her mother, Sheridan’s desire to have her biological father walk her down the aisle during her wedding leads her to invite three men who could possibly be her dad whose names she obtained from her mom’s old diary.
Both nights of the performance were well received with laughter being heard around the theatre throughout the first and second act.
“It was straight fire and really funny,” said Alex Huey, Canton junior. “I liked the diversity of the cast, and how they let other people have leading roles compared to the other musicals.”
Not only did the company deliver humor, but also strong vocal and acting performances.
“Lauren Hummer and Zoe Mihalic were absolutely fabulous, and I wouldn’t have chosen anyone else to play this daughter and mother duo,” said Brady Shideler, Plymouth junior. “Zoe’s performance was so breathtaking and emotional, it truly did justice to Agnetha Faltskog’s ‘The Winner Takes It All.’”
The Players plan to perform one more weekend of the show on April 14 and 15. Both shows will be presented in the Salem Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. Tickets can be bought online through the theatre’s website or in person at the front door.
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Sloan Shackelford is a Plymouth senior who made her start in journalism at the beginning of her junior year. Starting out as a student in the school’s...
