-Brenda Hillegas
photo by Joan Marcus
Ensemble Arts wraps their incredible 2023-2024 Broadway season with a show you all know and love- Mamma Mia! And even if you’ve never seen this musical before, you will love it when you check it out through Sunday (August 11th) only at the Academy of Music. Grab your best friends, dress like you’re going to a Greek island, and get your tickets here. You cannot skip it!
Sophie Sheridan (Alisa Melendez) is getting married on the Greek island of Kalokairi, where she has lived her whole live with mom Donna (Christine Sherrill), who owns a taverna. Never knowing her father, Sophie makes assumptions based on her mom’s diary from the ’70s and secretly invites three of Donna’s ex-lovers to the wedding so she can figure out which one it could be. Harry (Rob Marnell), Bill (Jim Newman) and Sam (Victor Wallace) all arrive without knowing why. Of course, chaos ensues and the story is a blast!
Mamma Mia! is the quintessential jukebox musical brilliantly set to the music of ABBA. And while there are so many fun musicals featuring already written and loved pop songs, nothing can beat the energy of this one. The songs fit so well and everyone- from the ensemble dancers to the leads- is given a chance to shine with songs and dance numbers. If you really don’t know the story, you’ll be grinning the whole time wondering what comes next.
Donna’s best friends- aka Donna and the Dynamos from the past- are highlighted in songs that will have you cheering for their characters. Tanya (Jalynn Steele) and Rosie (Carly Sakolove) are phenomenal in their comical songs “Does Your Mother Know” and “Take a Chance on Me”, respectively. Alisa Melendez is a perfect Sophie and anytime she takes the stage, the audience is all ears. Bring a jacket, too, because you will get all the chills, like you have never had them before, when Christine Sherrill absolutely kills it with “The Winner Takes it All”. If I had any free time this weekend, I’d be running to the theatre to see this number again. I can’t praise this production enough. Especially the leading men- Rob Marnell, Jim Newman and Victor Wallace. They are totally charming and play their roles so well. I’d break out in song too if they showed up at my door.
Mamma Mia! is something truly special in the theatre world. The show premiered in London in 1999 and it’s still going! It debuted on Broadway in February of 2001 and stayed there until September 2015, making Mamma Mia! the 9th longest running Broadway show. With timeless songs you can’t wait to get stuck in your head, the show has been seen by over 65 million people across the world. You just have to be one of them!
Tickets are waiting for you here. And don’t you dare rush out when the cast takes their bows, or you’ll miss a fun curtain call and your chance to sing along to “Mamma Mia”, “Waterloo” and “Dancing Queen”.
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