My My

The recent community version of Guys and Dolls jogged my memory of a student production I saw at Monarch Park Collegiate. So I checked and found that they were presenting the Mamma Mia! musical this week. So on Thursday, I headed over to Coxwell and Danforth to see it.

The evening started poorly with an overly salty meal of vegetable soup ($6) and pesto spinach pizza ($13) at The Magic Oven: not a great addition to the neighbourhood. But things started looking up when I saw how full the school auditorium was, a positive change from back then. With a nice set, live band, and a large contingent of performers and crew, it looks like the music/theatre program at Monarch has been growing.

There were some minor issues that, if fixed, could have made an impact on the show. Overall though, I liked watching these young people who sang (even heard some harmonies), danced, and played live with fun and gusto. But I was most impressed with the acting: no flubbed lines, a natural demeanour, and for the most part acted with believable emotions and sentiment. If the teens and pre-teens in the audience were inspired to join the arts program here, it could only get better.