Tony Award Winner Beth Leavel Starts Run in MAMMA MIA! on September 22

Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus’ global smash hit musical Mamma Mia! welcomes Broadway favorite and Tony Award® winner Beth Leavel as “Donna Sheridan” to the Winter Garden Theatre on Tuesday, September 22, 2009.

Beth Leavel recently starred in the world premiere musical Minsky’s at the Ahmanson Theatre and as “Lucille Early” in City Center Encores! production of No, No, Nanette. She received 2006 Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critic’s Circle and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle awards for her title role performance in The Drowsy Chaperone. She has appeared in the Broadway musicals Young Frankenstein, 42nd Street (original and revival), The Civil War, Showboat and the original company of Crazy for You.

Seen by over 40 million people around the world, Mamma Mia!, is celebrating over 3,000 performances in its eighth smash hit year at Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre and remains among Broadway’s top  selling musicals. The originAl West End production of Mamma Mia! is celebrating 10 years and over 4,000 performances in London, an international tour has visited more than 40 foreign cities, and the blockbuster feature film adaptation, 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.

For tickets, schedule and information about Mamma Mia! around the world: www.mamma-mia.com.

Photo by by Genevieve Rafter Keddy