It’s hard not to be drawn in by the catchy tunes of ABBA that bring the story of “Mamma Mia!” to life. I’ve seen the show on stage once before, but I got to see it again on opening night at the Des Moines Civic Center. I was very excited to get to see the “Farewell Tour” of the show and thought the cast and crew brought their A game to Iowa for sure.
“Mamma Mia!” has been gracing the stage since it first opened in 1999 (and still going) at West End, London’s famous theatre district. It came to America shortly after and will wrap up a 15-year run on tour in the United States this year. This show has become one of my favorites. It’s easy for me to pop in the soundtrack and enjoy the show tunes that includes chart toppers from the ’70s.
For those unfamiliar with the show, the story has been shaped around songs from the Swedish group ABBA. These songs were used to tell the story of a daughter, Sophie, who was raised by a single mother, Donna. As Sophie’s wedding approached, she wonders who her father could be and wanted to discover his identity before she ties the knot. The only catch is, there were three possible men.
Unbeknownst to Donna, all three received invitations to the wedding in order for Sophie to find out who fathered her. Things get complicated fast, but you should really watch it for yourself to discover what happens.
The mother and daughter roles are key to the performance. Betsy Padamonsky played a wonderful Donna, and Lizzie Markson was perfect as Sophie.
Sophie kicks off the show with “I Have A Dream” and brings the audience to the Greek Island for 2.5 hours of laughs, music, dance and heartfelt revelations. Markson has such a sweet voice that makes you feel the hope behind her words. However, the whole show rides on Donna, and Padamonsky was more than up to the task. She played the independent, single mother to a T. Without a good Donna, the show could not go on.
Donna and Sophie were excellent, but Donna’s two friends Tanya (Cashelle Butler) and Rosie (Sarah Smith) really stole the show. They come for the wedding, but that doesn’t stop the trio of gal pals from reliving their younger years. You get to see Donna and Dynamos in action complete with the platforms and bell bottoms (if you have ABBA’s music in the show, this is a must at some point). Butler and Smith brought the two characters to life brilliantly and never failed to bring endless hilarity to their scenes.
The true “Dancing Queens” of the performance were all the ensemble characters. They brought all of the group numbers together with a flare the songs deserve.
Once the story lines concludes, the performance was far from over. The cast returns to stage for the normal curtain call, but instead of just bowing and pointing to the next group they all join in a dance number and sing the title track “Mamma Mia!” then “Dancing Queen” and close with “Waterloo.” There’s an added twist to the final two songs, but I don’t want to spoil it for you.
“Mamma Mia!” will be at the Civic Center through Sunday. If you want a show that will have you out of your seat and dancing along, go check it out before it’s gone.
Contact Pam Rodgers at prodgers@newtondailynews.com