Vietnamese high schoolers perform ‘Mamma Mia!’ musical in charity event

The musical performance was part of a fundraising event to provide financial support for underprivileged students who cannot afford to go to school.

The auditorium at the Hanoi Conservatory of Music was packed with a huge audience who had come to enjoy the students-only play.

All preparatory work for the play was done by Olympia students, from the initial idea to production and casting of actors and actresses.

The message that the group of students hoped to convey through their play was familial love, friendship, romance, and stories about the lives of the poor across Vietnam.

The original Mamma Mia! musical was written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, who based her work on the songs of Swedish pop group ABBA.

The title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia.”

The adapted play was directed by Le Dieu My, a tenth grader at Olympia who said she had fallen in love with the genre ever since her school first introduced it into the curricula.

My said the most difficult part of directing a musical was how to appeal to an audience that presumably was new to the genre.

But the challenge was nevertheless overcome thanks to the help from My’s friends and teachers, the teenage director said.