Mamma Mia!

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

The blockbuster musical that sat the world on its head into a left hand spin in 1999 when it opened in London, Mamma Mia! burst onto the Temple Buell stage a week ago, playing through March 26.

Lisa Mandel, Laurie Wells, Laura Ware and Company perform in Mamma Mia!

Based on the music of the ever-popular Swedish group, ABBA, Mamma Mia! features 22 of the group’s most popular songs. Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, the two B’s in ABBA, with some songs by Stig Anderson, wrote the songs. Catherine Johnson grouped the songs together and wrote the book for the musical that grabbed music lovers by the throat.

Currently there are more productions of Mamma Mia! playing around the world than any other. Nine resident productions and two tours generate over $58 million a week in tickets sales. Twenty-four million people worldwide have seen this show, with over 18,000 people seeing the show every night around the world. To date, it has grossed over $1.4 billion at the box office.

Mamma Mia! opened in more cities around the world than any other musical in history, boasting 125 major cities since its stunning beginning. Those are enormously impressive figures by anyone’s standard, especially for a musical that is pure fluff, laced, of course, with huge nostalgic popular songs, but nevertheless, still fluff.

This current company, designed by Mark Thompson, choreographed by Anthony Van Laast, and directed by Phyllida Lloyd features strong dancing, with an energetic talented cast that meets the exclusive demands of such a show.

On a Greek island, Sophie Sheridan (Carrie Manolakos) prepares for her wedding in three months to Sky (Corey Greenan). She has more on her mind than just her wedding. She doesn’t know who her father is, and dreams of him walking her down the aisle. Her mother, Donna (Laurie Wells) built a small hotel on the isle, but was once a devil-may-care-but-by-all-means-let’s have-fun member of the “girl power” band Donna and the Dynamos. Wells showers the production with animated fun and a beautiful strong voice giving her character depth, determination, a touch of sadness, reminiscent of the fun-frolic-and foolish days. Twenty-one years ago she had a fling, actually three flings with three different romantic guys: Harry Bright (Ian Simpson), Bill Austin (Milo Shandel) and Sam Carmichael (Sean Allan Krill).

Manolakos engulfs Sophie with an innocent, curious, expectant soft demeanor with a huge gorgeous voice. Discovering her mother’s diary, she discovers the three names and invites them to her wedding. She thinks she will be able to tell instantaneously who her real father is. She confides her secret to her two best friends Ali (Tiffany Barbour). On Opening night the role was played by Amina S. Robinson with the energy of a star), and Lisa (Karla L. Beard).

The three men, much to Donna’s exasperated surprise do arrive for the wedding, along with her best friends, the other two members of the once-upon-a-time Dynamos Tanya (Lisa Mandell) and Rosie (Laura Ware).

Chaos, confusion, humor, and sharp slap stick curls itself neatly into the rocking production discovering, uncovering, wandering, unnerving, side stepping, questioning, with the incredible toe-tapping music including Chiquitita; Dancing Queen; Honey Honey; Money, Money, Money; Super Trooper; The Name of the Game; Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!; and Does Your Mother Know.

Under the music direction of local favorite Susan Draus who is touring with this production, the band includes: Bill Congdon, associate music director and keyboard 3, Emily Witt keyboard 2, Chris Sargent keyboard 4, Tim Morey guitar 1, Steve Roberts guitar 2, Paul Pasmore electric bass, Jeff MacPherson drums, and Mark Mule percussions.

There are times the band comes close to ABBA’s unique sound, but for the most part they raise the rafters making the music their own. Sometimes, too much so. Even with the powerhouse voices behind the characters, all too often the band drowns out the lyrics. ABBA’s music rocks with memories, energy, a beat that fills the soul, fetching happy-go-lucky tunes leaving one to dance in the aisles but this band gets carried away with its wanting to dance in the aisles, losing some of ABBA’s finesse.

With secrets and confidences moving in and out of the simple set, there is a wedding, although not between Sophie and Sky, decisions are made, and everyone ends up happy. The choreography, creative and entertaining, fits the scenario showcasing the cast with its expertise.

For one who is a died in the wool ABBA fan, no one but ABBA could ever in a thousand years ever begin to sound like ABBA, but it did seem this touring group settled into a cohesiveness in style, characters, flow, direction and out right comedy than did the first group that graced the Buell stage a few years back. Although I longed to hear the real ABBA once again, this show is fun, frivolous, a puffball frolic, and very well produced and performed.