Why Theatre When the World is on Fire?
With wars, political chaos, and daily stress, why spend precious spare time rehearsing a fun musical? Maybe that's exactly why.
There are wars happening. The US is becoming increasingly unrecognizable. The weather is bad. Work is stressful. Why in the name of Frankenstein would we spend our precious spare time rehearsing a show? Even more so, why would we do a show that's a fun love story? And even MORE… it's a musical!
And not just any musical — one built entirely on ABBA's music. There's something about those songs that lights up a shiny, nostalgic part of our brain. You hear the first few notes of "Dancing Queen" or "Super Trouper" and suddenly you're not thinking about the news cycle anymore. You're just... there. In the music.
Here's the thing: when I'm in rehearsal — even just sitting and watching someone else run a scene or work through choreography — I never wonder why I'm there. I never think about the strife in the world. I just enjoy the moment.
Maybe that makes me an escapist. But I figure the world will be there when rehearsal is over.
And I wonder if audiences feel the same way. We need a little escape from reality. We want to watch some people on a little Greek island get confused about who invited whom, who the real dad is, and whether old flames might rekindle. Will they get married? It doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things — but it's those parts of life that we want to watch.
We want in on that experience.
I invite you to find a 3rd space outside of work and home life where you can escape into something fantastic.
Mamma Mia is presented by Northumberland Players and runs February 20 to March 1 at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope.