Penn Hills High School choir teacher and musical vocal director Briana York knows talent when she sees it.

She and a few other staffers spend hours upon hours, week after week, fine tuning young pitches.

York also understands all work and no play make students dull performers.

It was no coincidence she and her leadership team selected “Mamma Mia!” as this year’s spring musical.

“We want to do as many different types of shows as we can while we’re here,” York said. “It’s a fun show. It’s about having fun and feels like a good time to just smile and have fun after all the turmoil the last couple years (during the pandemic). That’s mostly why we picked it.

“I’m the only one on (musical) staff that works in the high school. A lot of (the students) are in choir. Some of them I’ve had in my piano lab. They ended up coming up for the musical. I see them all day, all night. It’s fun to be able to spend all that time. … They’re very musical kids.

“Being able to know their voices helps when we’re talking about picking shows. This is a very talented cast musically.”

“Mamma Mia!” tells the story of Sophia, a young girl on a mythical Greek island who dreams of a white wedding and having her father give her away.

Problem is: she doesn’t know who her father is. She secretly invites three men from her mother’s past in hopes of meeting her real dad and having him escort her down the aisle.

The mother, Donna, a tavern hostess, is very surprised when she sees the special guests.

As Sophia struggles with determining who her father is, her fiance, Sky, tries to cheer her up while his friends try to steal him away for a bachelor party.

Sophia has a nightmare about the wedding, and the big day turns out to be a grand spectacle.

Cast excitement

Auditions took place in December and practices began shortly after winter break.

Senior Talia Russell plays Sophie. This is her sixth school district production.

“There’s a lot of dancing involved, so it’s very different from last year,” Russell said. “Last year was more singing and acting heavy. It’s good to get diversity.”

Last year’s production was “Little Women.”

Russell said Sophie is a very confident, headstrong character who is a joy to bring to life.

“I really just try to smile a lot on stage and be upbeat and connect the audience with the actual storyline,” she said. “I want them to understand how Sophie feels not knowing who her dad is. Knowing who her dad is, is knowing who I am. This is so important to her because it’s about knowing who she truly is.”

Senior Bella Mitlo plays Sophie’s mother. She described her character as a very frantic woman.

“I can channel that very well because I’m also very frantic,” Mitlo said. “It’s very fun playing Sophie’s mom and being able to be a very strict, but inside very fun, mother. In past roles, I’ve also played frantic people.”

Mitlo has been in Penn Hills productions since sixth grade. She said nothing for a show gets done without teamwork.

“We always want to make sure there’s a positive environment,” Mitlo said. “We try as best as we can to get everyone in a good mood, make sure everyone knows what they’re doing, is doing it well and we’re performing as best as we can. I love singing and music in general. The stage is one of my favorite places to be. I come back every year because I love what I do.”

The musical is based on the music of Swedish super group and Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famers ABBA.

Opening night is only a few weeks away. There were rehearsals during spring break.

”I think we have a little bit more work to do, but I think it’s going to be a really good show,” sophomore Zachary Burkovich said. “We have some really good actors here and a really good ensemble. It’s a lot. You’ve got to be really committed.”

Zachary plays Sam Carmichael, one of the three possible dads.

“He definitely knows a lot about the world,” Zachary said. “He’s a wise person. Definitely a dad, if that makes sense. A very awkward dancer. He just sounds like he knows what he’s talking about and he’s charming, too. He likes talking about himself. I do like to talk, not really about myself.”

There are about 50 students in the production, including 35 in the cast. Some double their efforts as stage crew.

Russell said the amount of effort it takes to prepare and put on a good show has made those involved mentally tougher and appreciate time management.

“All of us are very dedicated to theater because we love it so much,” Russell said. “I just want the audience to see that in our production, and see the love that we have for theater on that stage.”

Professional leadership

York is on a professional team with assistant directors Ben Blinn and Loyal Jasper, producer Chris Rautkis, pit orchestra director Ashley Bodnar, assistant vocal director Barb Spiri, stage crew supervisor Bill Holodnik, costume designer Diane Tirio and choreographer Nevada Scholze.

Zachary said York keeps everyone focused on their voices and the team is full of great motivators.

“Our directors have some really good advice on better acting skills and they choreograph very well,” Zachary said.

Everything is under the direction of Claire Davidson, who served as the district’s musical director for more than 20 years.

“She is a very good mentor,” York said of Davidson. “It comes very natural watching her and she takes a lot of attention to detail on how students are placed in scenes and having people in the background. I’ve learned a lot from her.”

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