By Angelina Tang
On Friday, April 12th, the East music department took a trip to the arts district in downtown Buffalo, enjoying dinner at Bijou Grill and Broadway’s Mamma Mia! live at Shea’s Theatre. The students invited included anybody in the music department, as well as anybody who participated in the musical. For many, seeing the show they had worked so hard on and performed in March live on the Shea’s stage is a memory they will never forget.
The trip began with an all-you-can-eat dinner at Bijou Grill, a nice American restaurant across the road from Shea’s on Main Street. The tables were nicely decorated with real candles and plates of brownies and cookies, and the fare included bread, salad, chicken, and pasta, as well as drinks. It was a busy night for them, as the show was sold out, and regular showgoers generally frequent Bijou and the other bars and restaurants next to Shea’s.
The show began at about 7:30 P.M. in the beautiful Shea’s Buffalo Theatre. A number of other schools attended this show and the other showings that week, including Casey Middle School. Mamma Mia! was touring to commemorate the show’s 25th anniversary–a happy coincidence with the fact that East just performed Mamma Mia! for the school musical. The professional Broadway version featured high-energy singing, dancing, and dialogue, in addition to some very dramatic acting. It was loud, upbeat, and thrilling, with many of the choreographies being more sensual compared to what is acceptable for a high school production. The energy also felt different, with the Broadway version being fast-paced and exuberant, whereas East’s was more emotional and narrative. Both are amazing, of course, and observing these kinds of differences in interpretation of the musical was fascinating.
The intense vocals and crazy quick changes kept up the energy and color of the production, and the lighting and music quality were both amazing as well. The set was concise and aesthetically pleasing, boasting a semi-circular ring of building silhouettes that could be separated into two parts and opened up for easy and efficient scene changes, during which the actors and ensemble themselves worked as stage crew and continued to act in spotlight, which gave the production a very immersive quality.
This trip to Shea’s was the perfect cap to end off this year’s musical season, and a huge thank you goes to Mrs. Raimondo for organizing the trip, as well as Mrs. Ieda, Mr. McCluskey, Ms. Girzone, and Mr. Buckley for chaperoning us. Next stop: the 2025 Music Wing Trip!
