A group of Suffolk school pupils were treated to an energetic musical theatre workshop yesterday, with one of the stars of the West End hit show, Mamma Mia.
Ipswich High School for Girls invited Mark Connell, a professional actor and trained dancer who lives in Felixstowe, to give them tips from the top on dance and performing to show tunes during an upbeat and lively session in the school theatre.
Mr Connell performs in the production of Mamma Mia at the Prince of Wales Theatre in Leicester Square almost every day and as an understudy for seven tracks and three principles, has mastered all the songs and moves of the ABBA-inspired musical. Mark choreographed the forty pupils, aged eleven through to eighteen, through a group dance routine. “The girls were great!” said Mr Connell. “They picked up the routine quickly and they were really enthusiastic dancers. It was especially rewarding to see them having so much fun.”
The pupils are heading to London today, to be given a backstage tour of the Mamma Mia set, before watching Mark Connell starring on stage in the evening performance of the famous musical theatre extravaganza. Now in its 11th year, Mamma Mia has been seen by over 40 million people worldwide and was turned into a box office smash hit in the 2008 film starring Meryl Streep and Piers Brosnan.