Is She 'Mamma Mia's First Greek Sophie?'

 When the curtain rises in "Mamma Mia!" you see a young girl seating on the set by herself.  She then stares out towards the audience, maybe a slight look at the conductor and sings the following, "I have a dream…a song to sing…"

 

 Carrie Manolakos never imagined her character in her first leading role in a Broadway-touring production would say the words she'd been dreaming about since the age of 10. But, sometimes, dreams do come true.

 

 And what a joy it is to report she's having a blast living that dream. When I noticed Carrie's last name in the Hippodrome Theatre's Playbill, I wondered if she was the very first Sophie who was from Greek ancestry (the play takes place in Greece).  And I was correct. According to Carrie, both her Grandparents are from Greece and her father speaks Greek fluently. She's been to Greece and has visited the major sites as well as her ancestral home, a small village named Moulous where you'll see donkeys and almost everyone is a relative. And yes, she did attend Greek school after her regular daily school lessons.

 

 Carrie hails from Syracuse, New York and recalls her first show at the age of ten in elementary school. She was soon thereafter in "Fiddler on the Roof". It was in her freshman year in high school that she decided that New York City would play an integral part in her quest to get into theater. A major turning point was attending the New York University summer musical theater program between her junior and senior years of high school. 

 

 Even though Syracuse University boasts a terrific theater program, and is only a mile from her home, she had her sites on the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU.  While at  NYU, some of her friends were obsessed with "Mamma Mia!", and she attended a performance at the Winter Garden Theater not knowing that one day she would get the opportunity to say those famous first words of the show, "I have a dream…"

 

 During her junior year at NYU's Collaborative Arts Project (known in the business as CAP 21), casting directors came to one of her classes to discuss the process of auditioning. Eric Woodall of Tara Rubin Casting called her soon thereafter to audition for "Mamma Mia!".  It was about two months after that audition that Carrie was asked to come in again and then, the next day.  Later in the day, while was working as an intern at New Jersey's Searchlight Theater, the call came. She was asked to serve in the ensemble of the touring production. She joined the tour in Winnipeg, Canada and after a couple of months became a cover for the role of Lisa and an understudy for the role of Sophie. She left the tour to come to New York for a week to rehearse, and then spent two more weeks of rehearsals on the road. 

 

 She credits the support of her mother, father, sister, and brother for her recent success. "They are all proud and excited for me", she commented. 

 

 While her father and siblings have seen her perform as "Sophie", her mother has not of yet due to her fear of flying. But that will soon be rectified as the tour is heading to her hometown of Syracuse shortly after stints in Hartford, Providence, Columbus, and Buffalo. She knows there will be much excitement in the community when the show arrives in her hometown and eagerly awaits the opportunity to perform for her friends, family, and mainly, her mother.  What a treat they have in store for them!

 

 She said she's thrilled to be performing in Baltimore which is one of the larger cities the tour has been to recently and is expecting many friends from college making the trip to the Hippodrome. Some of the cities she's enjoyed so far are Vancouver, San Diego, Seattle, Denver, and Miami. While she loves the travel and seeing different cities, she admits it's exhausting.  "Having only one day off a week is difficult. I do wish we had the same schedule as the Broadway production which has both Monday and Tuesday off," she commented.

 

 Another major difference from the Broadway production for her and the other actors is the fact that they don't have to dance on a raked stage. She added "We have enough injuries as it is with all the jumping and bouncing around that we do."

 

 I told her I felt she was one of the most comedic "Sophies" I've seen and she stated that others have told her the same thing. She stated, "I've been lucky to have some freedom with the role, to put my own personality, my own stamp on the role, and that's the kind of person I am…a little bit crazy…a little bit of a mess. Sophie can be played so many different ways, funny, sweet, and this was my decision to play her this way."

 

 You only have one more week to see this terrific production in Baltimore. But you also have a terrific opportunity to see many members of the cast, including Carrie, perform at the Hippo night club on Wednesday night to raise money for AIDS Action Baltimore and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. You won't see anyone perform any ABBA songs though. Carrie will be singing the song made famous by Whitney Houston, "I Will Always Love You".  So if you want to meet some of the cast members and see some tremendous entertainment and for the small amount of $8, contribute to two great causes, head to the corner of Eager and Charles Street on Wednesday night, Sept. 6. Doors open at 10, pre-show at 10:30 and the cast will arrive immediately after their Wednesday night performance.  For reservations, call 410-576-0018 or go to www.clubhippo.com.

 

 

For tickets for "Mamma Mia!", call 410-547-SEAT or go to www.BroadwayAcrossAmerican.com. The show's final performance in Baltimore is Sunday night, Sept. 10.

                                                                                                            

For comments, write to cgshubow@broadwayworld.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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