Written by: Sheherzade Noor Peerzada
Posted on: April 23, 2019 | 
Sophie's (Shameen Tariq) wedding
The LUMS Annual Play 2019 was a rendition of ‘Mamma Mia!’ directed by Raas Nabeel and his assistant director, Jawad Ghulam. The play was a live musical featuring a number of dance sequences, beautifully choreographed by Mariam Noor. It was showcased at Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, with a three-day performance from the 19th of April till the 21st of April.
The plot of the play was similar to that of ‘Mamma Mia!’ the film, and revolved around Sophie, Donna’s daughter, who is getting married, and doesn’t know who her biological father is. She invites three of her mother’s old suitors in order to find out which one her real father is, and the entire affair unravels in episodes of fun and drama, with a wide array of musical numbers and well-choreographed dances.
‘Mamma Mia!’ the film has remained a personal favorite, and I was eagerly waiting to watch the actors take the stage and unleash the magic of the renowned pop musical group, ABBA. The play opened with Shameen Tariq (Sophie), who sang ‘I Have a Dream,’ setting the mood of the play; Shameen’s vocals were phenomenal, and so was her acting. The character of Donna Sheridan was played by Alina Zuberi, whose stunning debut enthralled the audience. Her performance of ‘The Winner Takes It All’ was perfect; Zuberi hit all the high notes, and successfully conveyed the emotions behind the song. Rosie and Tanya, played by Nabiha Siddiqui and Sarah Arshad respectively, kept the audience engaged and amused throughout. The actresses had chemistry as a duo, which made their scenes together all the more exciting, standing out among the rest. The male characters, namely Skylar, Sam, Harry and Bill, were played by Samee Arif, Aadil Lalani, Nabeel Aamer and Qasim Shah respectively, who also put on a great show.
The play, in terms of dialogue delivery and action, stuck very close to ‘Mamma Mia!’ the movie, with some variation in the script here and there. There were several jokes and witty one-liners added by the team, which kept the audience laughing throughout. There were some weaknesses in the technical aspects of the musical; the set changes were slow, and the set itself was sparsely decorated. More props could have been used, which would have given the production an authentic touch, though there may have been a lack of resources considering it was a student production. The sound team did a good job overall, with a few minor and occasional errors. The lighting, however, could have been better, because at times the spotlight was not pointed at the character it should have been highlighting.
It was apparent throughout that all the actors and dancers were trying their very best. For a theatre production that spanned more than an hour and a half, it must have been quite a task to keep energy levels high. Overall, student productions need to be viewed with a pinch of salt; with limited resources and a lack of experience, the team of this musical still did brilliantly. Kudos to them for putting up an entertaining show and keeping the tempo of the musical consistent throughout!
All pictures provided by the author.
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