BWW Previews: MAMMA MIA! Plays at the Fox PAC in Riverside This Week

The national tour of MAMMA MIA! is coming to the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside for two shows only, tonight and tomorrow, February 4th and 5th. Over 54-million people worldwide have seen the rollicking musical written by Catherine Johnson, with music by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, former ABBA members who based the show's songs on the group's hits. MAMMA MIA! has run for 3,400 performances and nine years (and counting) on Broadway, and was adapted into a motion picture starring Meryl Streep.

This feel-good musical is the tale of bride-to-be Sophie's quest to discover the identity of her father. She knows it's one of three men who had a fling with Donna twenty years ago. Why not invite all three to her wedding on the Greek island where she and her mother, Donna, live as American expatriates? The problem: Donna doesn't know about Sophie's invitation, and each of the three guests is ignorant that there are two other possible candidates for father of the bride.

Whether this is your first time seeing MAMMA MIA! or your fifth, you'll find yourself tapping your toes to songs including "Dancing Queen," "The Winner Takes It All," "Money, Money, Money" and "Take a Chance on Me."

MAMMA MIA! will appear at the Fox Performing Arts Center, 3801 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501, 951-779-9804, for two performances, at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, February 4th and 5th. The doors open an hour before the performance. Tickets range from $56 to $90.25, including most fees. The Fox PAC is located about 120 miles from San Diego, 70 miles from parts of the San Fernando Valley and West LA, 57 miles from Long Beach, 55 miles from Palm Springs, and 45 miles from Anaheim. The Web site for more information and tickets is www.riversidelive.com .

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus