Mama Mia!

Want to go to a party?  Well, have we got a party for you!  Mamma Mia!, opening October 18^th at the Charlie White Theatre, is just that.  A glitzy, glamourous, rollicking, joyful party!  Mamma Mia! features twenty-two of Abba’s greatest hits, tied together with a story that is full of fun, pathos, passion and lots of laughs.  Audiences throughout the world have shown their enthusiasm for Mamma Mia! with wild, excited applause and instant standing ovations.  You can’t help but clap along and tap your feet to dynamic versions of Dancing Queen, Super Trouper, Waterloo and, of course, Mamma Mia.  It’s Abba!  The true test of a successful musical is when you leave the theatre humming one of the songs you’ve just heard.  With Mamma Mia!, audiences are humming the songs even before the show starts.  When Mamma Mia! first opened in London’s West End it was an immediate hit.  It became the seventh longest running show in London and continues to delight audiences to this day.  It ran for fourteen years on Broadway making it one of the top ten longest running musicals ever.  There was the successful film, and its sequel, but neither can hold a candle to seeing Mamma Mia! live onstage.  And now the Mary Winspear Centre, in collaboration with the Peninsula Players, is presenting Mamma Mia! live on the stage of the Charlie White Theatre.  Directed by Steve Ivings, with choreography and music direction by Lena Palermo, this production of Mamma Mia! is a true musical party from the opening bars of the overture to the closing bows.  You’ll be instantly drawn into the delightful story.  On a small Greek island we meet Sophie, raised by her single mom, Donna.  Sophie is about to be married.  Donna has never revealed who Sophie’s father is but Sophie has discovered it is one of three men.  So she invites them all to her wedding!  She doesn’t tell Donna, whose reaction, when she first encounters her three former beaus, is priceless. (The fact that she’s wielding a live power tool at the time makes for a scarily hilarious moment).  While the story is very funny, there are moments of great tenderness too.  Donna trying to hide her heartache when she realizes her little girl has grown up and will soon leave the island.  We see Donna fighting to control her anger and frustration when she finally has the chance to tell off one of the Dads for leaving her those twenty years ago.  And there’s the fun, goofy, good feelings when Donna’s former bandmates, Rosie and Tanya, arrive to help her handle all the craziness (or add to it) along with the island’s population of delightfully ditzy Greek characters. The story has many layers, all brilliantly backed by Abba’s wonderful songs.  Mamma Mia! is a sparkling, joyful celebration.  Two hours of fabulous music and a great story overflowing with fun, laughter and love.  You don’t want to miss this party!