A scene from the musical. (Arnab Mondal)

Students at Himali Boarding School, Kurseong, had the city tapping its feet to ABBA hits with their musical Mamma Mia. The play, which earlier won the hearts of governor M.K. Narayanan and his wife in Darjeeling, was performed before a full house at La Martiniere for Boys.

Adapted from the 1999 West End and the 2001 Broadway musical, the plot saw just one addition — a narrator. “It was tough because unlike in other musicals, here the songs were written earlier,” said Robindra Subba, the director of the musical and the school.

But the hill students did it like pros. “There was a wonderful coordination between the choir and the actors,” said Sucharita Basu, the head of the history department and an academic counsellor at La Martiniere for Boys (LMB).

Rassamimarn Thareesab, the Thai girl who played the protagonist Donna, was a favourite. “She sang all the songs really well. I liked her the most,” Basu said.

“She is so versatile. She carried off the play really well and was the best singer too,” agreed Yamir Tainwala, a Class XI student at LMB.

The Class X student earned laurels from her schoolmates as well. “Without Rassamimarn, this production wouldn’t be so successful,” said Ricksum Gumbo Lama, who played Sam Carmichael, an adventurer.

The star of the hour confessed to stage jitters. “It was my first production. At first, I was very nervous. But after a few performances, I became confident,” Rassamimarn said.

Rocking the stage along with Rassamimarn were Sonam Sherpa and Tshering Dukpa, who played Donna’s best friends Rosie and Tanya respectively. The trio sang Abba hits like Super Trouper, Dancing Queen and Mamma Mia.

Describing the performance as “mindblowing”, Sunirmal Chakravarthi, the principal of LMB, said: “The girls in the musical are simply brilliant. I am proud of these children. They have proved what hill students can do.”

Subba credited the success of the musical to the system of education in the hill boarding schools. “We always encourage co-curricular activities and aim at the all-round development of students. We try to develop aesthetic taste in the students by producing these musicals. We have a number of music teachers and produce a musical every year,” he said.

The students felt it was all thanks to their “godfather” Subba, who took charge of the school 30 years ago after the death of his father and the founder. “All his advice and the time spent at Himali Boarding School will remain the best learning phase of my life,” said Tshering Dukpa of Class XII.

For the hill students, the Mamma Mia journey may have ended with the LMB performance, but it will be etched in their minds forever. “I will miss Mamma Mia. It was a great experience. I have learnt a lot,” said Nashwardeep Tamang, who played banker Harry Bright.