Area Residents Have Roles in Musical Romantic Comedy This Weekend

For the next three weeks, March 13-14, 19-21, and 26-28, area residents are in for a theatrical treat with evening showings of Mamma Mia, a Montana Actors' Theater (MAT) production directed by Angela Pratt and featuring three individuals with Blaine County roots. Bonnie Ortner will play the role of Rosie, Jay Pyette will personify Harry, and Michelene Edwards will sing in the choir.

The two characters will be joined on stage by the following cast members:

• Donna – Angela L Murri

• Tanya – Rachel Hutchison

• Sophie – Julea Robbins

• Ali – Hannah Bricker

• Lisa – Rory Beth Everingham

• Sky – To Be Determined

• Pepper – Clayton Twombly

• Eddie – Anthony Borowiecki

• Sam – Casey Pratt

• Bill – Patrick Ulano

Other members of the choir include Amanda Knutson, Sabriel Combs, Jamie Chambers, Adam Ketchum, Angela Messinger, and Deanne Stevenson.

Mamma Mia's backstage and tech crew is comprised of Angela Twombly, Marie Jund, Isaac Golhahn, and Erin Virts.

In this drama produced by Jon and Claire Stoner, ABBA's hits tell the story of a young woman's search for her birth father. This sunny and funny tale unfolds on a Greek island paradise. On the eve of her wedding, Sophie's quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother's past back to the island they last visited 20 years earlier. As Sophie, the spirited bride, wrestles with the decision about who will walk her down the aisle, the audience will both laugh and wish to join in on many familiar jukebox songs.

In her first musical ever, Ortner is excited to perform Rosie in Mamma Mia. Having been involved in the previous MAT productions of Steel Magnolias and Rugburns, she expressed pleasure in Pratt's willingness to "take a chance" and cast her as Rosie in this show. Even though Ortner grew up with a backdrop of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Hank Williams, Sr., Ortner also appreciates disco music and welcomes the role's challenge.

"Rosie is a lot of fun to play. She's a very warm and caring person with a fun spirit. The storyline is not deep or intensely thought-provoking, so there isn't a lot of interpretation of the lines. This play really is about the music, and this is the first time I've ever been in a musical, so that has been a huge learning curve, not to mention the fact that I haven't ever sung harmony before; I've always been responsible for the melody. Although I've really enjoyed learning to harmonize, it's still a challenge, especially when you throw choreography on top of everything else! It's a very fun show, though, and I enjoy working with the group of people in the cast," Ortner reported.

Playing Harry in Mamma Mia, Pyette is the Executive Director for MAT and has been with the company since its founding in 1992. When asked about his preparation for playing the role of Harry, Pyette replied:

"I actually found embodying the role fun and not that difficult. I think I can identify with many of Harry's awkward moments and have had fun playing that part of him. He isn't that comfortable in this new environment, though he likes to talk about how adventuresome he was in his younger years. Since he and I are close in age, we share that in common."

Pyette went on to describe certain challenges: "The most satisfying (and terrifying) aspect of the show to me is just being in a musical again. It has been over ten years since I sang on stage, so the nerves factor was pretty prominent. Working with this ultra-talented group has been amazing, though, and the support has been tremendous. Harry is probably the most 'out of place' on this Greek island, and I've been having a great deal of fun just embracing that awkwardness."

Pyette also reflected on being on stage again with Ortner: "Although we've worked together at MAT, this is the first time we'll be on stage together in over 30 years."

The two Chinook High School (CHS) alum who both graduated in 1985 last shared the stage in the 1984 spring production of A Feudin' Over Yonder, a hillbilly comedy by Le Roma Greth. In that CHS production directed by Mrs. Donna Miller and the late Mrs. Ruby Skoyen, Pyette played Clem Frey while Ortner was cast as Rosie Belle Fry.

Pyette wishes to extend his extreme gratitude to what he describes as "this awesome community that continually supports the arts!"

At the theater on the MSU-Northern campus on Cowan Drive and College Road, the show opens on Friday at 8:00 p.m., with matinees on March 14 and 21 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are available online at mtactors.com/tickets/ and at Five Heads, located at 615 First Street West in Havre.

Anyone with questions about the show is encouraged to call the theater office at 945-0272.