I’ve seen a lot of plays throughout my life—Shakespeare, historical performances, high school productions, and videos of plays for theater class—but none have ever wowed me as much as the IVCC Theatre Department’s production of “Mame.” 

The cast’s chemistry with each other shines through their spectacular performance on stage. 

For starters, Kelly Johnson’s performance of the main character Mame and Jackson Layhew’s performance of young Patrick work so well together. Seeing them build their bond on stage was delightfully wholesome. 

Besides Mame and Patrick, the play’s cast is full of exciting and vibrant characters. Mame’s butler, Ito, played by David Zuniga, is one of the many examples. Zuniga’s performance added an air of humor to an already hilarious play. As the play progresses, you watch as he becomes a part of the family along with Mame, Patrick, and Nanny Gooch.  

And speaking of Nanny Agnes Gooch, Rebecca Eltrevoog’s performance was outstanding! Throughout the events of the play, her character is shown to be awkward and unconfident. After Mame helps her build up her self-image, she leaves for a while to explore the world. Agnes’ vacation ends with a bit of a mishap: she returns pregnant… but also with one of the best songs ever! 

Eltrevoog’s singing was simply amazing and was one of my favorite parts of the entire musical.  

I truly could go on and write about how every single character’s performance was spectacular, but there’s simply not enough space on the page.  

If you didn’t manage to see the production here at school, you really missed out. “Mame” has been a book, play, movie, and musical (as it was performed at IVCC). I highly recommend checking out one of those options if you missed the live performance here, but it simply wouldn’t be the same without this amazing cast.