On The Road with MAMMA MIA's Stephen Ecklemann & Kyra Belle Johnson

There's a lot to learn about the two actors - Kyra Belle Johnson, who's cast as Sophie, and Stephen Ecklemann, who takes on the role of her boyfriend Sky - playing the young leads in Mamma Mia!, the ABBA-inspired musical that lands at Nashville's Tennessee Performing Arts Center next Tuesday night for an eight-performance run.

First off, they're both inordinately charming conversationalists who are open and forthright. Secondly, the story of Johnson's "discovery" and ultimate casting in the mega-musical hit will surely one day be right up there among such theatrical lore as the legendary story behind Lana Turner's serendipitous lunch at Schrafft's Drugstore. And, finally, Ecklemann can spin a tale of near-epic proportions to support his claim that he may be one of the most superstitious actors on the planet.

Talking with Johnson from her hotel room in Rapid City, South Dakota, we first learn that she's been involved in musical theater since she was eight years old in her Southern California hometown. Thus, for more than half of her life (Kyra Belle is now 18), she's been delighting audiences with her obvious talents and redoubtable stage presence.

But, clearly, it's the story of how she became a member of the national touring company of one of the world's most popular musicals that will really inspire and/or stun you, depending upon your perspective.

"I did a program in NYC over the summer of 2014," she explains. "And at the end there was a showcase in front of casting directors and agents."

One of those industry luminaries in the audience for that showcase was an agent from Joy Dewing Casting: "She wrote down my name and, in January 2015, she emailed my mom, telling her that Mamma Mia! was coming through Southern California for auditions and that I should consider coming in to read."

"But I was just a 17-year-old senior in high school at the time," Johnson admits. "And I thought, 'why should I do tht?' I'm a senior in high school and nothing's gonna come of this. But I thought it would probably be a good experience for me and, seriously, how many opportunities like this will come about for someone who's still in high school?"

Apparently, though, the high school senior had what it took to be cast as Sophie (the daughter of three possible dads), who is about to be married on a Greek isle in the musical that's set to some of the Swedish band's greatest hits. Ultimately, she was cast in the role and at the still-ripening age of 18, she joined the national touring company that's been making its way across the United States since last year.

Sophie and Mamma Mia! has also provided Johnson with at least one lifelong dream: Performing on the stage of Los Angeles' iconic Pantages Theatre. "A dream of mine was to always perform on the Pantages stage, so when we were there, it seemed like everyone from my hometown who knew and loved me, came to see the show," she recalls. "Every single show I had at least 40 to 50 people come up to see the show. It felt so cool to be sharing the experience with people who have known me all my life."

What's touring been like for the promising young actress? "It's certainly been more than what I thought it would be," she says. "Oftentimes, I think, non-union shows get a reputation of not being up to par to union productions and for not treating their actors well, but I've been surprised how they care for us, our life on tour, our health, the way we feel and how our lives go."

"The quality of the show is insane," she maintains. "We have the same director and choreographer who worked on the Broadway production, so there's a lot expected of us. We all love the show and have a lot of fun in it. The Mamma Mia! tour has completely blown my expectations out of the water.

Does Kyra Belle Johnson have any pre-show rituals that she goes through (you may rest assured that her onstage sweetheart Ecklemann does: "He has his 22-minute vocal warm-up," Johnson explains. "He's so funny.") before hitting the stage?

"For me, I mean it's just little things, so I have no real superstitions: When the overture is going and the curtain is down and all the cast who's about to go onstage are doing warmups and stretches to the music of the overture. Then we get in a circle and we hold hands in time to the music, and we have someone in the center, sort of leading uks. 'See you on the island!' And then we're off..."

In addition to the onstage experiences across the country, for Johnson, the best part of the tour has been just that - touring: "Traveling has been one of my favorites parts of this tour, since we're on the bus most of the time," the California-born and bred actress says. "I like driving through the middle of nowhere...I loved Pennsylvania (I think it's one of the most beautiful states to drive through), it was beautiful, with the leaves turning and ti was gorgeous. Burlington, Vermont was such a gorgeous city and so was Fayetteville, Arkansas."

For Stephen Ecklemann, who plays opposite Johnson every performance in the role of Sky, Portland, Oregon is the place he calls home, although he was ten years old before he ever lived in the United States. His father worked for a technology company, so the family lived in such exotic locales as Singapore and Germany before ultimately making their home in the Pacific Northwest.

While studying musical theater at New York University, he started going on auditions, hoping to find his own big break: "I was just auditioning in New York," he remembers. "I went in for an open call for Annie and because I'm very tall [he stands a showstopping 6'5"] I knew I would be hard to cast in a show that requires ensemble members to play multiple roles. So I was told that Joy Dewing was also casting Mamma Mia! The casting director asked if I had a pop song and sent me across the street to audition."

That was over two years ago and today, he's traveling cross-country with one of the best-known musicals of recent vintage. He credits his father, who is a longtime fan of The Music Man, with planting the musical theater seed in his heart and mind.

"Growing up, my dad loved The Music Man and we were always watching it. Because he showed that to me - and because I wanted to be like my dad, I always give him credit for being the reason I went into musical theater."

Insofar as pre-show rituals are concerned, Ecklemann readily admits he's superstitious: "I have a bunch of preshow rituals and I'm definitely the most superstitious person in the cast. I always have to be behind the curtain at the top of the show, even though I don't go on until later. I have to high-five the same people and I always grab a Ricola, then give one to my stage manager and I watch the first scene from the wings!"

Asked what their most memorable "show must go on" moment has been on this tour, both Ecklemann and Johnson point to the same event. Picture it: Opening Night in LA, on the stage of the Pantages Theatre where, during the wedding scene, one of the actors' microphones went out. So what happened after that?

"A stagehand was given a hand-held microphone and he walked on and handed it to the actress, then went back offstage," Ecklemann reports. "It was remarkable because the actor playing opposite her was giving her as much support and help that he could and everyone onstage was awestruck by the level of professionalism and how easily they handled the situation."

Johnson shared the same memory: "On opening night in LA, Rosie's mic went out right before 'Take a Chance' started! So, the song starts and a stagehand walks out with one of the hand-held mics and hands it to her and she used it throughout the number. It was awesome to see - you totally forgot the mic was there - and it showed everyone, especially the younger actors, how professionals handle moments like that. It was very inspiring."

The audience that night seemed mesmerized by how seamless the unexpected snafu was handled, Ecklemann contends: "I find that theater audiences are very much on your side and they are very forgiving when something likes that happens. It's like they're really seeing how things work onstage."

Touring in a much-beloved show offers its own challenges, Ecklemann admits, but there's the beauty of "performing in a new place every week, working with new people in every city - and I really like that, it keep you from getting bored or becoming stale."

About MAMMA MIA! Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' Mamma Mia! the smash-hit musical based on the songs of ABBA, returns to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall for a limited, one-week engagement April 26 - May 1.

Inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA's songs from "Dancing Queen" and "S.O.S." to "Money, Money, Money" and "Take a Chance on Me," Mamma Mia! is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends and new family found. Mamma Mia! is one of the most successful musicals of all time, the eighth longest-running show in Broadway history, and one of only five current musicals to have run for more than 10 years on Broadway. The West End production is now in its 17th year. The international tour has visited more than 81 foreign cities in 37 countries.

The original production of Mamma Mia! was 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.

Mamma Mia! is produced by Work Light Productions, whose other touring productions include Rent 20th Anniversary Tour, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Vocalosity, and Crazy For You. The special edition cast recording of MAMMA MIA! is available on Decca Broadway. For information about the show, visit www.Mamma-Mia.com.

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