REVIEW: MAMMA MIA!—Segerstrom Center for the Arts
- TheShowReport
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 59 minutes ago
Resistance is Pointless...Come Take Back the 70’s!
MAY 13—COSTA MESA
Face it! Theater has seen a lot of jukebox musicals blip in and out of existence like mayflies on a Maypole, but Mamma Mia! is one Broadway show that has endured. Chalk it up to the combination of ABBA’s perennially infectious songs—the sugar rush that’s lasted five decades and counting—and book writer Catherine Johnson’s easily digestible, very silly but very effective rom-com plot: On the eve of her wedding, 20-year-old Sophie, who has spent her life on a Greek isle with her sassy, taverna-running mom, concocts a ridiculous plan to find out the identity of the father she’s never met.
Almost two dozen ABBA songs get squeezed into this shiny bell-bottomed catsuit of a musical, from the big hits (“Dancing Queen,” "Winner Takes it All," “Take a Chance on Me”) to the deep cuts (“Under Attack,” “Our Last Summer,” "Voulez-Vous"). And, for every boomer who secretly sings “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do” into her hairbrush and longs for the days of unironic hair feathering, MAMMA MIA! is a nostalgic Broadway ticket that’s hard to resist and will ring bells for anyone over the age of 40.
For a lot of us, musicals are a guilty pleasure. Whether it’s the sung-through epic tale of redemption "Les Misérables" brings, the audacious classic rock musical "Grease," or the 1960’s musical comedy "Hairspray," there are always throngs of “fan-atics” clamoring into theaters everywhere to get yet another thrill, or shed yet another tear. And that's exactly what's happening now at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The musical MAMMA MIA! is playing on the Segerstrom stage through May 18th to droves of excited over-40 fanatics, eager to dance to those disco/pop days all over again.
Premiering back in 1999, MAMMA MIA! was written by Catherine Johnson, and promoted as Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus’ show, as they were the composers of the music for ABBA. Beginning with a run in The West End, the musical has continued to find success across countless productions and tours, with the show celebrating its 25th anniversary this year! Almost a hundred million people have seen the show, which includes their 14-year run on Broadway, a still-current run on The West End, and multiple revivals, tours, regional, college, high school and community productions.
And then we were given the romantic comedy film MAMMA MIA! in 2008. We were gifted with Colin Firth’s spontaneous character dancing in with his shirt off. We were troubled by the Kermit the Frog vocal stylings of Pierce Brosnan. We were blessed with Meryl Streep schooling Brosnan on how singing is done via “The Winner Takes It All.” And we were happy.
So, if you’re ready to experience again the liveliest and most energetic stage show around, you’ll really fall in love with this MAMMA MIA! From thrumming beats that recall disco in its heyday — to splashy sequined costumes — to dancing that will set your toes to tapping — this MAMMA MIA has it all. This melodious, bouncy musical is an audience pleaser par excellence. This spirited show infects everyone around with vigorous enthusiasm, camaraderie, and pure love as the audience gets to live again through the music of ABBA.
By now, everyone knows the plot. But just in case you've been living in a cave, let me rehash: the plot revolves around carefree single parent Donna Sheridan (Christine Sherrill; “Sunset Boulevard” - The Jeff Award, Chicago; Resident Artist with Las Vegas company of Mamma Mia!), who owns and operates the La Donna Taverna on the idyllic, fictional Greek island of Kalokairi. She’s busy planning a memorable wedding for her 20-year-old daughter Sophie (Amy Weaver; Nat’l Tour: “Jersey Boys;” Hong Kong Disneyland).
But the sweet-voiced and altogether charming Sophie has a dream that Donna doesn’t know anything about. Sophie wants her father to walk her down the aisle. There’s only one problem. Sophie doesn’t know who her father is, and Donna isn’t telling. She’s managed to narrow the search down to three possibilities based on entries from a 20-year-old diary which she pilfered from her unwitting mother. Sophie’s solution to the conundrum? She’s invited all three men to her wedding, an invitation ostensibly from her unaware mother.
When her three potential sires arrive – Sam Carmichael (Victor Wallace; Broadway: “Mamma Mia!,” Nat’l Tour: “The Phantom of the Opera”), Harry Bright (Rob Marnell; Broadway: “Tina, The Tina Turner Musical,” “Beautiful”), and Bill Austin (Jim Newman; Broadway: “Hands on a Hardbody,” “Curtains”) — the fur begins to fly. Especially when Donna sets her eyes on the trio.
Directed with verve by Phyllida Lloyd (“Grenfell: In the Words of the Survivors,” Broadway & Tony Nomination: “Mary Stuart”), coupled with Benny Andersson & Bjorn Ulvaeus’s brilliant music and lyrics, and Anthony Van Laast’s (“Tina, the Tina Turner Musical,” “Sister Act”) fast-paced choreography, MAMMA MIA! brings back the 70’s with a vengeance, with Mark Thompson’s production design and Andrew Bruce & Bobby Aitken’s sound filling the theater with joy, and, unless you’re as cold as a spicy Greek salad, you’ll be leaving the theater with a big nostalgic smile on your face.
Donna’s lifelong friends, the elegant Tanya (Jalynn Steele; Broadway: “The Lightning Thief,” Off-Brdwy: “The Book of Merman”) and boisterous Rosie (Carly Sakolove; 2013 Nat’l Tour: “Mamma Mia!” TV: Netflix — “The Watcher”), both full of clever quips and hilarious antics, add their unique flair to the stage, while Mr. Marnell’s Harry, Mr. Newman’s Bill and Mr. Wallace’s Sam as the contenders in Sophie’s paternity sweepstakes vitalize the plot with sentimental performances and emotional awakenings.
Sophie’s friends who have traveled to the island for the wedding, Ali (Haley Wright), and Lisa (Lena Owens; “42nd Street”) are a supporting double-act of bubbly, “bridesmaidsy” excitement, in a younger version of the genuine Tanya and Rosie friendship with Donna.
The daddy troika turns up considerably (as do Donna’s pals Tanya and Rose’s take on romance and relationships) and are then revealed in the run-up to Sophie's big day — tying the knot with her beau Sky (Grant Reynolds; “Sweeney Todd,” “The Color Purple”).
And alongside best-friend-groom-to-be Sky, Justin Sudderth (“The Color Purple;” “Jimmy Buffet’s Escape to Margaritaville”) appears to revel in his moments in the sun playing the hotel’s frisky bartender, Pepper, especially in his cougar-hunting moves with Tanya in “Does Your Mother Know?” Laid-back, easy-going Eddie (Ethan Van Slyke; “South Pacific,” “West Side Story”) is also good buddies with Sky and is Pepper’s best friend. He serves as general help for Donna, although she considers him "generally no help at all.”
Musically, the show sounds even richer than the last time I saw it. A clean, well-calibrated set and colorfully authentic costumes contribute to the festive atmosphere, which reaches a crescendo following the curtain calls during the show’s signature sing- and dance-along.
A lot has changed and metamorphosed since MAMMA MIA! was originally conceived back when ABBA dominated the music charts. But a big part of the reason it triggers so much joy now is that it’s unobjectionable. It does have enough of a serious side, but in the end, it’s silly, escapist entertainment that bottles the band’s fizzy popular appeal for the stage.
Yes, the songs are drippy strands of string cheese that link disco with Glam Rock. And the book may have a deep-centered sexual freedom theme. Still, the show is a quasi-Dionysian ball of feel-good fluff. Resistance is pointless. So unless you’re a hopeless curmudgeon, genuine misanthrope, or true anarchist, please do yourself a favor and catch this show before it leaves on the 18th.
SEGERSTROM CENTER FOR THE ARTS PROUDLY PRESENTS – THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY NORTH AMERICAN TOUR OF MAMMA MIA! JUDY CRAYMER, RICHARD EAST & BJORN ULVAEUS FOR LITTLESTAR, IN ASSOCIATION WITH UNIVERSAL; Directed by PHYLLIDA LLOYD; Associate Director MARTHA BANTA; Choreography by ANTHONY VAN LAAST; Associate Choreographer JANET ROTHERMEL; Music and Lyrics by BENNY ANDERSSON & BJORN ULVAEUS, and some songs with STIG ANDERSON; Book by CATHERINE JOHNSON; Production Designed by MARK THOMPSON; Lighting Designed by HOWARD HARRISON; Sound Designed by ANDREW BRUCE & BOBBY AITKEN; Musical Supervisor, Additional Material & Arrangements by MARTIN KOCH; Production Stage Manager LARRY SMIGLEWSKI; Exec Producer BESPOKE THEATRICALS, AMY JACOBS; Company Manager MICHAEL SANFILIPPO.
CAST: AMY WEAVER, HALEY WRIGHT, LENA OWENS, JALYNN STEELE, CARLY SAKOLOVE, CHRISTINE SHERRILL, GRANT REYNOLDS, JUSTIN SUDDERTH, ETHAN VAN SLYKE, ROB MARNELL, JIM NEWMAN, VICTOR WALLACE, BLAKE PRICE, ALESSANDRA ANTONELLI, CARO DAYE ATTAYEK, ADIA OLANETHIA BELL, EMILY CROFT, MADISON DEADMAN, JORDAN DE LEON, NICO DIPRIMO, PATRICK DUNN, STEPHANIE GENITO, MAKOA, JASMINE OVERBAUGH, BLAKE PRICE, DORIAN QUINN, XAVI SOTO BURGOS.
SWINGS: SARAH AGRUSA, ANDY GARCIA, DANNY LOPEZ-ALICEA (DANCE CAPTAIN), GRAY PHILLIPS, LAUREN SOTO, GEORGE VICKERS V.
BAND: MATTHEW CROFT (CONDUCTOR), DANIEL KLINTWORTH, NICK GREATHOUSE, BENJAMIN SAMUELSON, NOGA SHEFI, KEVIN MCNAUGHTON, ETHAN DEPPE, MICHAEL AARONS.
MAMMA MIA! plays from May 13th through May 18th, 2025 at SEGERSTROM CENTER FOR THE ARTS in Costa Mesa. Performances are Tuesday-Friday at 7:30pm; Saturday at 2:00pm and 7:30pm; Sundays at 1:00pm & 6:30pm. For tickets, visit www.scfta.org
Chris Daniels
Arts & Entertainment Reviewer
The Show Report
Photo Credits: Joan Marcus
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