"Mamma Mia!" at Lyric Arts

Last night, Lyric Arts opened their joyful production of the perhaps the most beloved jukebox musical, Mamma Mia!, and the entire run is already sold out. This is extremely rare, and speaks to both the draw of this great little theater in the 'burbs, and the popularity of Mamma Mia! Although it didn't win a single Tony Award, it ran for 15 years on Broadway, making it the 9th longest running Broadway musical (soon to be eclipsed by The Book of Mormon), and was adapted into a movie starring no less than Meryl Streep, which also inspired a sequel, and potentially a third movie to come. Why do people love Mamma Mia! so much? Maybe because it's chock full of familiar (to people of a certain age) songs from ABBA that are upbeat and endlessly singable. Maybe because it's set on a Greek island that we'd all love to escape to, especially after a long and difficult Minnesota winter. But I like to think that the reason we love Mamma Mia! is that the central love story is between a mother and a daughter, and between female friends. At its heart, inside the silly and contrived story of a young woman looking for her father, it's a story of friendship, community, and family, especially those that look different from the norm. It's a feel-good heart-warming musical that appeals to all generations. And Lyrics Arts' production, with a talented and gorgeously diverse cast, is a great one.

"Mamma Mia" on tour at the Orpheum Theatre

The smash hit 2001 Broadway musical Mamma Mia!, which opened in 2001 and went on to become the 9th longest running musical in Broadway history, has come back to Minneapolis for one week only! When I first saw it on Hennepin Theatre Trust's 2023-2024 season (note: the new season will be announced this Thursday!), I thought - really, Mamma Mia! again? Why?! But then I realized I hadn't seen the Broadway/touring version since 2010 (although I did see three gorgeous local productions in the last few years, at the Ordway, Chanhassen, and Zephyr in Stillwater outdoors), so I thought I'd check it out. And I had an absolute blast at the show. Yes, it's a jukebox musical with a silly plot made up in which to shove ABBA songs, but the result is so joyously infectious, it's impossible to resist. So if you're thinking, "why should I see Mamma Mia! again," keep reading and I'll give you ten reasons. But hurry, Donna and Sophie and her three dads leave town on Sunday! (Click here for the official ticket site.)

"Mamma Mia!" by Zephyr Theatre at Lowell Park

2021 is THE summer for fantastic outdoor* theater, and Zephyr Theatre's Mamma Mia! is high on that list. The Stillwater theater has been around for a few years, drawing top talent from #TCTheater, but this was my first experience with them. It will definitely not be my last. What's better than walking around charming riverside Stillwater, shopping, eating, and drinking, followed by outdoor theater performed on a stage with the St. Croix River and the historic lift bridge in the background?! In normal times they perform inside the Minnesota Zephyr Train Depot, but this summer they're opening their "Broadway by the Bridge" series with a show that's full of joy (as Artistic Director Calyssa Hall said before the show), Mamma Mia! Perhaps a bit of a guilty pleasure, this long-running hugely successful jukebox musical that spawned two movies (and counting) is so infectious with it's fun, familiar story-songs and heart-warming stories of female friendship and celebrating different kinds of families that you just can't help but love it. And this lovely and talented cast brings out all of the joy, fun, warmth, and humor of the piece, made extra specially poignant by the fact that it's likely the cast and audience's first return to theater after a very long extended intermission. That's a celebration in itself. The only downside of Mamma Mia! is that it runs this weekend only, and I do recommend buying tickets in advance (read: now) because it's close to selling out. Watch for the next "Broadway by the Bridge" in early August; I hear they're doing Shakespeare's As You Like It (dates and details TBA).

"Mamma Mia!" at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres

I fell head over heels for the Ordway Original production of Mamma Mia! last summer, calling it "fantastically fun and surprisingly moving, performed by a mostly local and all fabulous cast." So when I heard that Chanhassen Dinner Theatres had chosen it as their summer 2019 production, I thought, so soon? why? The answer is that it's an inherently fun and feel-good show show, and while the Ordway production still holds a special place in my heart, it only ran for two weeks and the Chan reaches a much larger out-state audience. There's room for two big, beautiful, fantastically fun Mamma Mia!s in this town. What I love most about this show is that it's very female-forward. Yes there are male characters, but it's truly about the women's stories. Better yet, it's about women loving and supporting each other, not competing with each other. The true love story at the heart of this piece is the love between parent and child, the love of lifelong female friendships. I can't think of any better message to celebrate this summer.

"Mamma Mia" at the Ordway Center

Unless you've been living under a rock, you're probably aware that there's a new Mamma Mia! movie, a sequel to the 2008 smash hit movie adaptation of the smash hit jukebox musical (which ran for 14 years on Broadway and 19 years and counting in the West End) featuring the music of '70s pop sensation ABBA (phew, that's a lot of derivatives). But are you also aware that there is a brand new local production of the stage musical playing at St. Paul's Ordway Center for the Performing Arts for just three weeks? If you're thinking to yourself, "why should I spend more money to go see it live at the theater when I can just go to the movie, or watch it in my living room in a few months?" keep reading, because I will tell you why. What it boils down to is that firstly, live entertainment is always better than anything recorded could be, and secondly, this production is fantastically fun and surprisingly moving, performed by a mostly local and all fabulous cast. If you enjoyed either of the Mamma Mia! movies, you do not want to miss this one-of-a-kind LIVE Mamma Mia! experience! But hurry, unlike movies that last forever, you only have until August 5 to see this.