Judy McLane to Join MAMMA MIA! as 'Donna' in June

After playing the role of "Tanya" for the past seven years in Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' smash hit musical MAMMA MIA!, Broadway favorite Judy McLane will assume the starring role of "Donna Sheridan" on Monday, June 4, 2012 at the Winter Garden Theatre (1634 Broadway).

Judy McLane earned critical acclaim for her performance as "Vienna" in Johnny Guitar Off-Broadway, for which she received Drama Desk and Drama League Award nominations. She has appeared in the original companies of the Broadway musicals Kiss of the Spider Woman, Aspects of Love and Chess. Judy recently starred as "Diana" in Next to Normal at the Pioneer Theater in Salt Lake City.

She is the longest running principal in MAMMA MIA!'s thirteen year global history and has played the role of high maintenance, thrice married "Tanya" longer than any actress in any production of the hit musical around the world.

Now celebrating 10 smash hit years on Broadway, MAMMA MIA! is one of the most successful musicals of all time anywhere in the world and is now 10th longest running show in Broadway history.

Seen by over 50 million people around the world, MAMMA MIA!, is celebrating over 4,300 performances at Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre and remains among Broadway's top selling musicals. The current North American Tour has played over 3,700 performances in over 150 cities with 145 repeat visits. The originAl West End production of MAMMA MIA! is now in its thirteenth year and has celebrated over 5,000 performances in London and the international tour has visited more than 74 foreign cities in 25 countries and been seen by over 4.3 million people. The blockbuster feature film adaptation of MAMMA MIA!, produced by Judy Craymer and Gary Goetzman, is the most successful movie musical of all time grossing $600 million worldwide.

With a worldwide gross of over $2 Billion, MAMMA MIA! is acclaimed by the Associated Press as "quite simply, a phenomenon."

Inspired by the story-telling magic of ABBA's timeless songs, writer Catherine Johnson's sunny, funny tale of family and friendship unfolds on a tiny Greek island. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter's quest to discover the identity of her father brings 3 men from her mother's past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago. Songs including "Dancing Queen"; "The Winner Takes It All"; "Money, Money, Money" and "Take A Chance on Me" are all featured in this feel-good night of fun and laughter.

Produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East and Björn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal, the creative team responsible for bringing MAMMA MIA! to theatrical life includes some of the most gifted and celebrated talents of musical theatre and opera. With music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, MAMMA MIA! is written by Catherine Johnson and directed by Phyllida Lloyd. MAMMA MIA! has choreography by Anthony Van Laast, production design by Mark Thompson, lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce and Bobby Aitken, and musical supervision, additional material and arrangements by Martin Koch.

Judy McLane (Donna Sheridan) received critical acclaim for her performance as "Vienna" in Johnny Guitar Off-Broadway (Drama Desk Nomination, Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance in the Theater). Most recently, she starred as "Diana" in Next to Normal at the Pioneer Theater. She starred as "Donna" in the feature film Were the World Mine and character vocals for the movie Lucky Stiff by Ahrens & Flaherty. Ms. McLane has appeared on Broadway in Kiss of the Spider Woman, Aspects of Love and Chess. Her national and international tours include "the Baker's Wife" in Into the Woods, "the Narrator" in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with Donny Osmond, "Mrs. Baskin" in Big and Side By Side By Sondheim. Other favorite roles include: "Phyllis" in Follies (Signature Theater, Helen Hayes nomination), "Eva Peron" in Evita, the title character in Victor/Victoria, "Aldonza" in Man of La Mancha, Luisa in Nine, "Nancy" in Oliver!, "Florence" in Chess, "Lily" in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Paper Mill Playhouse), "Fiona" in Brigadoon, "Milly" in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (St. Louis Muny), "Mrs. Walker" in Tommy, "Rebecca" in Rags (American Musical Theater of San Jose), "Mary Magdalene" in Jesus Christ Superstar (Sacramento Music Circus), and "Ann" in 1940's Radio Hour (Repertory Theater of St. Louis), "Isabella" in Wuthering Heights (Olney Playhouse) and "Lucy" in Wildhorn's Jekyll & Hyde (Casa Manana). As a soloist, Ms. McLane performs the music of Gershwin, Berlin, Webber and Big Band with many symphony orchestras including the Bolshoi Orchestra in Moscow, the National Orchestra of Lyon, France, National Symphony of Canada, National Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Ft. Worth, Indianapolis, Memphis, Milwaukee, Naples, Oklahoma City, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Seattle, St. Louis, Southwest Florida, Toronto, and Chuatauqua Symphony Orchestras and Chess in Concert at Carnegie Hall among many others. Television includes "Guiding Light" and "Another World." She can be heard on the recordings of Johnny Guitar, Sundance the Musical,
The May Who Would be King and Storyville. www.judymclane.com.

For tickets, schedule and information about MAMMA MIA! : www.mammamianorthamerica.com/