Mamma Mia! Some Enchanting Evening!

Mamma Mia!
Music and Lyrics by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus (and some songs with Stig Anderson)
Book by Catherine Johnson
Production Design, Mark Thompson; Lighting Design, Howard Harrison; Sound Design, Andrew Bruce & Bobby Aitken; Musical Supervisor & Arrangements, Martin Koch; Choreography, Anthony Van Laast; Director, Phyllida Lloyd

CAST (in order of appearance): Sophie Sheridan, Whitney Claire Kaufman; Tanya, Christine Sherrill; Rosie, Annie Edgerton; Donna Sheridan, Mary Jayne Raleigh; Sky, Timothy Ware; Harry Bright, Ian Simpson; Bill Austin, Milo Shandel; Sam Carmichael, Sean Allan Krill

Performances through December 16, 2007 at The Colonial Theatre
Ticketmaster 617-931-2787 or www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com

Sometimes an evening at the theatre should be pure fun and Mamma Mia! fills the bill with singing, dancing, laughs, and enough spandex to be banned in Boston. Now in its sixth year of touring, the smash hit musical based on the songs of the Swedish pop group ABBA returns for a 3-week engagement at the Colonial Theatre. This is your chance to become one of the more than 30 million people worldwide to see this show, so grab two or three – or more! – of your best friends and go!

The story is set on a Greek island where on the eve of her wedding, Sophie Sheridan hopes to discover the identity of her father. Without her mother's knowledge, the bride invites three men from her past to visit the island they left 20 years ago. Having read about them all in Donna's diary, Sophie hopes that one will turn out to be the man to walk her down the aisle. She can't foresee the feelings that are stirred up in her mother and each of the prospective fathers, or how the whole process will change her own life, but everybody grows and they all live happily ever after.

This is not to say that there's no conflict or sadness in the story. One of the show's qualities is that it resonates with the audience. There's the single mom pulling herself up by her bootstraps to raise her daughter on her own. There's the search for identity and knowing one's roots. There are the lost dreams of youth and realizing that your life didn't turn out quite the way you'd hoped. There's love of all kinds – between good friends, mother-daughter, young love, lost love, and, perhaps the best – found love. Seeing the show for the second time, it continues to amaze me how beautifully the 22 ABBA songs tell all of these stories and fit, unforced, into the narrative. Catherine Johnson's book fills the spaces between the songs, not the other way around.

Acknowledging that Mamma Mia! (the brand) is a juggernaut and beloved around the world is only to begin to tell you about this incarnation at the Colonial. It was with heavy heart that I discovered two little slips of white paper in my Playbill on opening night announcing understudies in the key roles of Sophie and Rosie, one of Donna's old friends and singing partners. I worried needlessly as Whitney Claire Kaufman (Sophie) and Annie Edgerton (Rosie) inhabited the characters and related to their cast mates as if they'd been playing the parts all along. Kaufman was especially convincing in her scenes with boyfriend Sky (a velvet-toned Timothy Ware) and her girlfriends Ali (Rebecca Covington) and Lisa (Nicole Laurenzi). Rosie is responsible for lots of comic relief, and Edgerton had both edge and great facial asides, as well as a voice that combined well with Tanya (Christine Sherrill) and Donna (Mary Jayne Raleigh) when they became "Donna and The Dynamos." Sherrill may be the biggest surprise when she grabs a hair dryer and belts out "Dancing Queen" as her tall-drink-of-water, patrician looks belie her ability. Her wry humor and dancing moves get a workout in "Does Your Mother Know" as she fends off the advances of the younger island boys. Kudos to Enrico Rodriguez as Pepper, an extremely energetic and limber dance partner with a winning smile.

The role of Donna is challenging because she carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. As a young woman, she was a free spirit, a singer, and a lover. Responsibilities and love for her daughter replaced those characteristics and hardened her on the outside. This is the woman we meet on the eve of Sophie's wedding. Add the arrival of three unexpected guests and Donna is thrust into emotional chaos as she tries to connect with her former self and still maintain her façade. There's a lot going on for Donna, but Raleigh portrays her mostly as angry until Sophie asks her to help her dress for the wedding. In her wistful song "Slipping Through My Fingers" she finally bares her soul and shows the mixed feelings of any mother on her only daughter's wedding day, then returns to her vitriol in a powerful "The Winner Takes It All."

Sean Allan Krill as Sam Carmichael receives the brunt of Donna's anger and does a good job of taking the blows and occasionally giving back in kind. Their duet on "S.O.S." is biting, and Krill's voice has a rocker sensibility in a couple of numbers. Ian Simpson has a sweet voice and personality as Harry, and Milo Shandel's temperament as Bill falls somewhere in between the other two dads, but they both make you believe that they are stand-up guys who want to do the right thing for Sophie.

The set design is simple and many moods are created by lighting changes. The costumes evoke an island feel with lots of gauze and denim, not to mention bare skin. For a dream sequence, the ensemble is dressed in bright yellow and fuchsia snorkeling gear which glows under a black light. I can't say much about the fabulous outfits for "Donna and The Dynamos" because I don't want to spoil it, but picture orange, chartreuse, and red, lots of sequins, and bat wing sleeves. Before the start of the show, a voiceover announces a warning to the theatre patrons that there are platform shoes and spandex in this production. They're not kidding!

One of the many great things that Mamma Mia! has going for it is the young, energetic cast who seem capable of dancing all night. Even when it appears that the show is over, it isn't over, so don't rush up the aisle before the music stops. Better yet, stand up in the aisle and do a little "Dancing Queen" yourself. Just don't fall off your platforms.

(Note: Understudies appeared for Carrie Manolakos as Sophie and Allison Briner as Rosie)