Mrs. Madden stars in Theatre Memphis’ Mamma Mia!

By Bella Littleton

We all know Mrs. Madden as SMS’ hardworking and amazing drama teacher, but what about after the school day ends? Mrs. Madden extends her hard work into her roles, most recently at Theatre Memphis.

Photo courtesy of Carla McDonald

Mrs. Madden is St. Mary’s wonderful drama teacher who always gives her hardest not only when working on our theatre productions, but also in teaching us how to put on a good show. It is always inspirational to see teachers apply what they teach outside of the classroom, or in this case, the theatre. Recently, Mrs. Madden has been showcasing her talents and skills to the entire Memphis community in her leading role in “Mamma Mia!” at Theatre Memphis. As director of the St. Mary’s theatre department, it is no surprise that she was amazing in the show.

For those of you who unfamiliar with “Mamma Mia!,” the plot revolves around Sophie Sheridan’s wedding at her mother’s taverna on an isolated Greek island and her desire to have her father there. But, Sophie doesn’t know who her father is, so she invites her three potential fathers to the wedding. Not only that, but her mother Donna invites the members of her old girl-group, Rosie and Tanya.​

Above: SMS faculty members meeting with Mrs. Madden after the show. Picture from Jenny Madden. Right: SMS Theatre students & friends visit with Mrs. Madden. Picture from Ali Fowler.

​Mrs. Madden steals the show every Friday through Sunday while playing the role of Rosie Mulligan. She keeps the audience laughing from the moment she steps on the stage to the moment the curtain falls. Her costume helps to compliment her role and comedy. Throughout the show, Mrs. Madden wears khaki cargo shorts, a fanny pack, and a touristy Hawaiian shirt. It was expected that she would change for the wedding scene near the show’s end, but when she came out in khaki shorts, a fanny pack, and a different Hawaiian shirt, the audience could not stop laughing. And within that same scene, her comedic timing is wonderfully paired with that of Brian Huffman, who plays Rosie’s love interest, Bill Austin. They sing the classic song “Take A Chance On Me,” showing off both their vocal skills and wonderful comic pairing. They both crawl around and get on top of benches. The silly dancing they do cracks the audience up as Rosie and Bill ask each other to take a chance. On top of that, Mrs. Madden does a terrific job in her songs with the band Donna and the Dynamos. Her stage presence is unmatched, truly showing what a remarkable actress she is. 

St. Mary’s is so lucky to have Mrs. Madden in training the next generation of actresses. Her skill is definitely shown all throughout “Mamma Mia!” Mrs. Madden and her wonderful cast of “Mamma Mia!” still have one more weekend of performances with shows on Sept. 6 and 7 at 8:00 PM and a matinee show at 2:00 PM on Sept. 8.