Review: IT'S A BIRTHDAY! at Capitol Musical Theatre, Wroclaw

As summer has already hit us with heat and steam, we all think about the holidays as the school year ends. There are some goodbyes, some tears, and waving bye-bye. There are also some summaries, and I was honored to witness the 15th birthday of a musical school designed with passion, kindness, and what we love the most: THE MUSICALS!

MAM (Młodzieżowa Akademia Musicalowa - Youth Academy of Musical, or YAM in English :)) was founded 15 years ago in Wroclaw by three friends full of energy and love for kids and the stage: Magdalena Zawartko, Joanna Kurzynska, and Malwina Aleksander. I bet none of them were prepared for the scale of this project. Fifteen years ago, musicals were a real niche, and bringing in kids who wanted to make it part of their lives must have been hard. But watching them now, seeing how they grow, cherish this energy, and infect others with it, was a blast.

In MAM (YAM), there are musical lovers from ages 3 to plus 60. There are in total 7 groups, MAMiatka, MAMinki, MAM Yellow, MAM Red, MAM Blue, MAM White, and MAMuts who cut out four hours a week to be part of this community, or should I rather say, family. The idea they had to celebrate their 15th anniversary was to put on a show with all participants, and it was very impressive. The story about growing up was the perfect metaphor! Have you ever seen a show with almost 300 participants (most minors) flowing in front of your eyes and bringing the best of musicals and the best of themselves, with softness, vulnerability, incredible voices, and passion? All dressed in white, they were like dancing snowflakes, like singing clouds that had just escaped from a cartoon sky. Some of the pieces even gave me goosebumps, despite the hot evening.

Some graduates from MAM continue their musical journey in theaters around the world; for others, it’s just fun to perform, sing, and dance. In this community, people don’t just like each other; they’re practically bonded for life! If you need a buddy who will share the interest in singing their grocery list and dance through the aisles, or for some karaoke nights, this is the place to be. It's like a soap opera, but with fewer plot twists and more love!

I wish them all the best and hope their mission to bring music to (small and bigger) kids’ lives will continue, bringing us some new stars but above all, some joy with music, dancing, and creativity. I only regretted that my ankle was twisted because I would have joined the audience in a standing ovation. They well deserved it, and I hope they will continue to create magic for another million years.

Photo: R. Skwarek

To post a comment, you must register and login.