Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia!, a
musical written by
British playwright Catherine Johnson, is based on the songs of
ABBA. The title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia."
The musical includes such hits as "Super Trouper", "
Dancing Queen", "Thank You for the Music", "The Winner Takes It All", and "SOS". It has been seen by over 20 million people worldwide.
The story revolves around Sophie and her mother, Donna. Sophie is about to be married and wants her father to give her away at her
wedding; Sophie isn't sure which of three possible men he might be.
Encyclopedia
Mamma Mia!, a
musical written by
British playwright Catherine Johnson, is based on the songs of
ABBA. The title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia."
The musical includes such hits as "Super Trouper", "
Dancing Queen", "Thank You for the Music", "The Winner Takes It All", and "SOS". It has been seen by over 20 million people worldwide.
The story revolves around Sophie and her mother, Donna. Sophie is about to be married and wants her father to give her away at her
wedding; Sophie isn't sure which of three possible men he might be.
History
Mamma Mia! premiered in
London on April 6, 1999 at the
Prince Edward Theatre, transferring to the Prince of Wales Theatre in 2004. The
North American premiere of the show was at the
Royal Alexandra Theatre in
Toronto, Ontario on May 23, 2000. The Broadway premiere of the show was on October 18, 2001, at the
Winter Garden Theatre.
The Toronto production has since closed. Other notable productions that have run and closed include the Australasian International Tour ,
Tokyo show ,
Seoul show , Utrecht Show , and
Antwerp Show .
On May 15, 2005, Mamma Mia surpassed the original Broadway runs of
The Sound of Music, The King and I, and
Guys and Dolls with 1,500 performances. As of September 9, 2006, it is the 24th longest running
Broadway musical of all time.
On April 19, 2006, it was revealed on Playbill.com and Broadway.com that a film version of the musical will be made and should arrive in cinemas most likely in late 2007. It will be directed by
Tom Hanks with
Rita Wilson,
Björn Ulvaeus, and
Benny Andersson as executive producers.
Other companies are currently running in the
USA:
Broadway;
Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay; and a National Tour. Other productions ongoing are in
Europe ,
Japan ,
Germany ,
Spain , and
Sweden . In 2006,
Mamma Mia! was performed in two other countries,
Belgium and
Italy . These two productions were in Flemish and
Italian, respectively, becoming the eighth and ninth languages this musical has been performed in along with
English,
German,
Dutch,
Japanese,
Korean,
Spanish, and
Swedish. The show also returned to
South Africa in 2006. In addition to returning to old venues, the musical will be played in a city outside
Seoul,
Korea starting January 2007. Most recently, the official
Mamma Mia! site has confirmed that the musical will be performed in a tenth language:
Russian. This production will be in
Russia in October 2006 with tickets available now. Unconfirmed rumours state that a production of
Mamma Mia! will begin in Mandarin Chinese in
China by the end of next year.
Story
The story takes place on a fictional
Greek island. Sophie has always wanted to know who her real father was; Donna wouldn't talk about her past. Sophie reads through her mother's diary and finds entries where Donna describes intimate dates with the three men. Sophie believes that one of these three men is her father. She sends them invitations to her wedding without letting her mother know.
The three men — Harry "Head Banger" Bright, Bill Austin, and Sam Carmichael — all have their own quirks. Harry is a nerdy banker with a unique laugh; Bill is a stereotypical
Australian; Sam is an architect who had an affair with Donna while engaged to another woman. In addition, Donna invited two of her old friends; Tanya, a rich multiple divorcee, and Rosie, an unmarried woman who likes to have fun. The three of them used to be in a singing group called "Donna and the Dynamos."
Sophie initially believes Bill is her father because his aunt
Sophia left a large amount of money for family. Donna says Sophie was named after a Sophia, and that the money to build the taverna came in an inheritance. She asks Bill to give her away at the wedding, and he agrees to do it. Soon thereafter, Harry and Sam figure out what's going on, and approach Sophie about it. All three possible fathers believe that they're giving Sophie away.
Sophie sends notes to the three men saying that her mother is going to give her away instead. At the wedding, it is finally made clear to all three men that Sophie's paternity is undetermined, but everyone involved agrees that they don't need to know the truth, and all three men are glad to be a part of Sophie's life. Sophie and her
fiancé realize they actually don't want to get married. Instead of letting the wedding preparations go to waste, Donna marries Sam, who is divorced from his erstwhile fiancée. It's also made apparent that Rosie and Bill have become attracted to each other. Harry, on the other hand, who makes frequent references to his "other half" throughout the show, is revealed to be in a committed
homosexual relationship with a man named Nigel. Sophie and Sky leave the island to travel the world together.
Songs
Act I
Act II
Encore
The audience is encouraged to sing along during the encore.
On the preview night the musical had the song "
Summer Night City" just after the prologue. The Summer Night City scene was a wedding rehearsal and during the song, Ali, Lisa, Tanya and Rosie arrived on the island.
External links
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- Big collection of spectacular band photography
- Stunning collection of images of the brunette ABBA beauty
