BWW Interviews: Vince and Jennifer Wingerter of MAMMA MIA on Tour

As MAMMA MIA tours around the country, many people enjoy the songs of ABBA and the fun story that goes along with the great musical. As the cast travels together they get a chance to really become a close knit family on the road. Two of the members of the ensemble, Vince and Jennifer Wingerter, are family in every sense of the word. After meeting while working aboard Celebrity Cruise Lines, Vince and Jennifer were married in September of 2013. As they approach their second anniversary as husband and wife, Vince and Jennifer shared with BWW the fun experiences of being on the road together and creating memories in this great show.

Can each of you tell us about how you got started in show business?

VINCE: I started when I was about six or seven. The first role I ever did was Kurt in "The Sound of Music." I got started because I'm a middle child of three; I have a younger brother and an older sister. My sister who is six years older was doing theater. My parents got me involved in dance classes and a lot of the local musicals. And the rest of my life, I kept taking dance in high school. My sister, she had kids and taught a little bit. She stopped doing it but me and my brother continued on. Now, I'm the last child left and I'm doing it professionally. I really have to thank my older sister for getting me involved.

JENNIFER: My parents put me in dance class from the very beginning. I remember I was very young, maybe three years old when I started dance. I was in my first musical when I was five. I was super involved with the community theater and the school theater and the children's theater and everything in my hometown in Michigan. As soon as I graduated high school, I went to NYU for acting. I've just been working professionally in theater ever since. It's been a really fantastic ride and I'm thrilled to be continuously working as much as I have been. Vince and I are lucky because we have been working primarily together since we've met.

How did you meet each other?

VINCE: I was doing a contract as a singer for Celebrity Cruise Lines. I was just finishing my first contract when Jennifer came on as a replacement. We met briefly and with varying circumstances, the producer asked me to come back right away for another contract and that was with Jennifer. We were in the Baltics; Norway, Finland, all those different places as singers. So our first six or seven months together was actually singing on cruise ships for Celebrity Cruise Lines.

JENNIFER: It was really nice for our first six months together to be in the Baltics and the Mediterranean and Europe. It was like the honeymoon phase right when we first met.

Was it love at first sight?

JENNIFER: We clicked right away.

What's it like being out on tour together? Do you have any challenges being together all the time?

JENNIFER: It's certainly a blessing to be on the road with Vince. There are a lot of people in the cast, and I know various companies where in this industry, if you have a significant other, the chances are very slim that you get a chance to work together as much as Vince and I have. Being able to tour together and spend these last few years on the road together, has been such a blessing. It's really wonderful to be able to perform and to be able to go to dinner together.t's really nice. There are challenges though, like when you're with somebody 100 percent of the time, it's important to make sure that you have your independence as well.

VINCE: Sure, because you're working together, you're going back to the hotel room together or you're travelling together, so there's definitely that challenge. We're so fortunate that when you're touring just like cruise ships, you see a lot new places and exciting experiences. We're really lucky that we can share that with each other.

How long have you been out with MAMMA MIA?

VINCE: Two years.

JENNIFER: We began with MAMMA MIA right before we got married. We were in rehearsals and they were kind enough to let us out during tech week for our wedding. Then we just went right on back into our opening night and we've been on tour together ever since.

VINCE: Jennifer, how many shows are we at? We're pretty close to 500.

JENNIFER: We have just completed 492 performances; Vince and I personally. Our final performance Sunday night in San Antonio will be our 500th performance.

VINCE: Another interesting fact not too many people know. This is not just to luck but health as well. Jennifer and I have the longest streak in our current tour, MAMMA MIA that we've never had to call out for a single show. Knock on wood, if we make all through San Antonio, we will have 500 shows where we never had to call out.

Tell us more about your roles in MAMMA MIA.

JENNIFER: Both of us are in the ensemble and I understudy two of the dynamos in the show. I understudy both Donna and Tanya, her friend. It's really exciting because at any given moment, I could go on as any of the three tracks that I know in the show. And Vince is similar, right?

VINCE: I'm also in the ensemble and I cover two of the three dads. I cover Sam. I also cover Bill who is the writer. Like Jennifer said, you never know when you have to go on. I went on just a week ago for Sam so it happens all the time. It's a lot of fun.

Have you ever both gone on together as understudies for Donna and Sam?

JENNIFER: We have been waiting for the day that something like that would happen. Sadly, it hasn't lined up for us to go on as Donna and Sam simultaniously...yet. We have, however, played opposites multiple times in other productions; "Singin' in the Rain", "Me and My Girl", "White Christmas" and it's always wonderful doing so.

What advice do you have for anyone thinking about getting into show business?

JENNIFER: Be as involved as you can all the time whether it's taking dance classes or taking voice classes or seeing shows or participating in a local musical or getting involved in the high school play. I think the more active you are in the industry all the time and the more you love it, the easier it is to assimilating into the professional world.

VINCE: To pick up on what Jennifer's said, maybe you've taken dance classes in your childhood, but don't consider yourself a singer. Take a couple of basic voice lessons. Take a couple acting lessons. Jump into that play even if all your experience is in dance. If you're a singer and you're getting coaching, or you're an actor but can't dance, jump into a couple of beginning classes to get movement because there's a huge difference between people that take a little bit of those other skills sets and are never afraid to try.

MAMMA MIA plays at the historic Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Texas from June 9-14, 2015. You can get tickets for the show by going to the Majestic's website. Don't miss your chance to see it.

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