Feel the beat of the tambourine and get ready for an ABBA-solutely fabulous theatre experience.
Rehearsals for the most anticipated show of the season are now underway. Mamma Mia!, the hit musical employing the chart-topping catalogue of Swedish super-group ABBA, will be on stage at two local venues in just a few weeks – March 22 to May 7 at the Dunfield Theatre Cambridge and May 12 to 28 at the Drayton Festival Theatre.
“Mamma Mia! is a global phenomenon,” said Alex Mustakas, artistic director of Drayton Entertainment in a press release. “We look forward sharing this enormously popular show with excited theatregoers across southwestern Ontario.”
Mamma Mia! tells the story of Donna, an independent, single mother on an idyllic Greek island who is preparing for her daughter Sophie’s wedding. The guest list includes two lifelong girlfriends from her one-time band, Donna and the Dynamos but Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own.
On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, Sophie has arranged for three men from Donna’s past to make a trip to paradise, where over the next 24 hectic hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled on a Greek island full of possibilities.
In addition to the iconic title song, the show includes ABBA’s hits Dancing Queen, The Winner Takes It All, Lay All Your Love on Me, Money, Money, Money, Knowing Me, Knowing You, SOS, Take a Chance on Me and more.
This musical is brought to life on stage by director and choreographer David Connolly, whose résumé includes work on major musicals like the recent pre-Broadway production of First Wives Club in Chicago and television specials like The Tenors Live in Las Vegas, as well as numerous Drayton Entertainment shows.
Connolly is joined by music director Steve Thomas, set designer David Boechler, costume designer Rachel Berchtold, lighting designer Oz Weaver and assistant director and assistant choreographer Robin Calvert.
The cast includes Blythe Wilson as single mom Donna Sheridan. Wilson’s career has taken her from Vancouver to Stratford and beyond, including a Broadway debut as Mrs. Banks in Disney’s Mary Poppins in 2011.
Danielle Wade will play Donna’s plucky daughter and the bride-to-be, Sophie. Wade is best known to audiences as the winner of CBC’s reality show Over the Rainbow, and for her turn as the title role in Anne of Green Gables.
Colin Sheen, who played Gilbert Blythe to Wade’s Anne, will take on the role of Sophie’s fiancé Sky.
Jackie Mustakas and Jenni Burke will play Donna’s friends and fellow Dynamos Tanya and Rosie respectively. Mustakas most recently appeared as the wicked Queen Diabolica with Burke as the Blues Fairy in Snow White: The Panto.
Matt Palmer, Michael Killinger and Mark Harapiak will play Donna’s former beaus and Sophie’s potential dads, Sam Carmichael, Harry Bright and Bill Austin. New to Drayton Entertainment audiences, Palmer has appeared in countless productions in Vancouver including lead roles in Shrek: The Musical, Company and more. Killinger and Harapiak have both been on Drayton Entertainment stages previously – most notably, Killinger appeared in Big Band Legends and Swing!, and Harapiak appeared as King Arthur in Camelot, among other roles.
The cast also includes Judy Kovacs and Jade Repeta as Sophie’s best friends Ali and Lisa, Stephan Dickson and Sam DiGiuseppe as Sky’s buddies Eddie and Pepper, along with Christy Adamson, Graeme Goodhall, Jessica Horn, Jon-Alex MacFarlane, Erik Markewich, Jennifer Mote, Christine Watson, and Tyrell Witherspoon.
Mamma Mia! is on stage March 22 to May 7 at the Dunfield Theatre Cambridge and May 12 to 28 at the Drayton Festival Theatre.
Tickets are $44 for adults and $26 for youth under 20 years of age. Tickets for groups of 20 or more are $36.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.draytonentertainment.com, in person at any Drayton Entertainment box office, or by calling toll free 1-855-DRAYTON (372-9866).
