The Prince Edward Theatre

Mamma Mia! is based on the songs of ABBA. ABBA was a Swedish pop/dance group active from 1972 - 1982 and one of the most internationally popular pop groups of all-time, topping the charts again and again in Europe, the United Kingdom, North America and Australia. Following the musical premiere in London in 1999, ABBA Gold topped the charts in the United Kingdom again. This musical was the brain child of creative producer, Judy Craymer. She met songwriters Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson in 1983 when they were working with Tim Rice on Chess It was the song "The Winner Takes It All" that suggested to her the great theatrical potential of their pop songs The songwriters were not enthusiastic, but they were not completely opposed to the idea. In 1997, Judy commissioned Catherine Johnson to write the book for the musical.  In 1998, Phyllida Lloyd became the director for the show. It is very unusual for three women to form the collaborative force behind such a commercial success in musical theatre, and this unusual collaboration is likely responsible for the fact that the story features three strong women.

 Synopsis

Mamma Mia! at the Winter Garden Theatre, New York

The story takes place on a fictional Greek island. Sophie, a 20-year old English girl, discovers her mother's old diary and finds entries which describe intimate dates with three men ("Honey, Honey"). Sophie believes that one of these men is her father, and sends each an invitation to her wedding without letting her mother know.

The day before the wedding, Sophie's mother, Donna, begins receiving guests at her taverna. The first to arrive are her two best friends: Tanya, a rich three-time divorcée, and Rosie, an unmarried woman who likes to have fun. The three women catch up and talk about how life has treated them, ("Money, Money, Money").

Later that day, three men arrive: Sam Carmichael an American architect, Harry Bright, a British banker, and Bill Austin an Australian writer. Sophie convinces them not to tell Donna that she invited them, ("Thank You For The Music"). Donna walks into the taverna just as Sophie walks out. She is very surprised and more than a little devastated when she sees her three previous boyfriends all in the same place at the same time, ("Mamma Mia").

Tanya and Rosie find Donna in her room with her head under her pillow. They try to cheer her up, ("Chiquitita"). Donna confesses to her friends that she doesn't really know who Sophie's father is, but all three candidates have arrived at the taverna. Twenty years ago, the three of them were a singing group called "Donna and the Dynamos." Tanya and Rosie try to convince Donna that she can still be the girl that she once was, ("Dancing Queen").

Sophie had hoped that she would know her father the moment she saw him, but she is more confused now than ever. She tries to tell her fiancé Sky how she feels without actually confessing what she has done. Sky tries to cheer her up by assuring her that he will be all the man she ever needs, ("Lay All Your Love On Me"), while his friends whisk him away for his stag night.

At Sophie's bachelorette party, Donna, Tanya and Rosie don their old costumes and perform a song ("Super Trouper") as Donna and the Dynamos. Sam, Harry and Bill accidentally walk in on the party and are persuaded to stay ("Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"). Sophie first pulls Bill aside to talk with him. She learns that Bill has an aunt Sophia who left all her money to family. Bill learns that Donna built the taverna with money she inherited from a friend she lived with when Sophie was a baby. They both realize that he is probably her father.

Sophie finds Bill outside. He says he needed to get some air. Sophie asks him to walk her down the aisle. Bill wants to discuss it first with Donna. This has been her secret after all. No one has yet guessed that Donna doesn't know who the father is. Sophie insists, ("The Name of the Game") and finally, Bill agrees.

Back inside, Sam pulls Sophie aside and tells her that he has figured out why she invited him. He "knows" that he is her father, and he promises to walk her down the aisle tomorrow. Sophie is speechless. Then, Harry approaches Sophie apologizing for being so slow on the uptake, and he also "knows" that she's his daughter and promises to walk her down the aisle tomorrow. Sophie leaves the party, hopelessly confused ("Voulez-Vous?"), and ushers in an intermission.

That night, Sophie has a nightmare involving her three possible fathers all fighting for the right to walk her down the aisle "Entr'acte" and wakes up despairing ("Under Attack").

Donna finds Sophie in her room. She is upset. Donna assumes that Sophie wants to cancel the wedding and offers to handle all the details. Sophie is offended and vows that her children will not grow up not knowing who their father is. As Sophie storms out of the room, Sam enters and tries to tell Donna that Sophie may not be all she seems, but Donna does not listen, ("One of Us"). Sam was probably the man Donna cared about most, and they both wish that they could go back in time, ("S.O.S.").

Harry asks Tanya what the father of the bride ought to be doing for Sophie's wedding. Tanya explains that for her part, her father gave her his advice and then paid. Pepper, one of the men who works at Donna's taverna, continues making advances toward Tanya, who rebuffs him ("Does Your Mother Know").

Sky finds out what Sophie has done in inviting Sam, Harry and Bill to the wedding. He accuses her of wanting a big white wedding only so that she can find out who her father is. He is very hurt that she kept this plan a secret from him. He storms off just as Sam walks in. Sam tries to give Sophie some fatherly advice by describing his failed marriage, ("Knowing Me, Knowing You"), but Sophie is not consoled.

Harry finds Donna in Sophie's room and offers to pay for the wedding. They reminisce about their fling, ("Our Last Summer"). Sophie arrives and Donna helps her get dressed. She cannot believe her daughter is going to be a bride, ("Slipping Through My Fingers"). Donna admits that her own mother disowned her when she learned that she was pregnant. They reconcile and Sophie asks her mother if she will walk her down the aisle. Sam arrives as Sophie leaves the room. He tries to speak to Donna again, but she does not want to see him, and asks him to leave. He refuses, and a bitter confrontation ensues. Donna tells Sam how he broke her heart, presumably when she found out he was married, ("The Winner Takes It All").

Rosie is making final preparations in the taverna when Bill arrives. He's upset because he has received a note that Donna will be walking Sophie down the aisle. Bill reaffirms his commitment to the single life, but Rosie urges him to reconsider, ("Take A Chance On Me").

The wedding begins, with Donna walking Sophie down the aisle. Sophie calls a halt to the proceedings. She is not ready to get married. Sam seizes his chance and proposes to Donna in order to prevent the wedding preparations from going to waste. Donna accepts, ("I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do"). The issue of Sophie's parentage is finally settled, or rather left unsettled, as none of them have any idea whether they are actually her father; everyone involved agrees that it does not matter which is her biological parent, as Sophie loves all three and they are all happy to be "one-third of a father" and a part of her life at last. Finally, Harry, who has made frequent references to his "other half" throughout the show, is revealed to be in a committed gay relationship with a man named Laurence (Nigel or George in some productions and Peter in the Russian version). In the end, Sam and Donna are married, and Sophie and Sky depart on a round-the-world tour, ("I Have A Dream").

 Musical numbers

During the preview period in London, the musical had the song "Summer Night City" just after the prologue. The "Summer Night City" scene was a wedding rehearsal and during the song, Ali, Lisa, Tanya and Rosie arrived on the island. Now part of the song is used as underscoring to connect the end of "The Winner Takes It All" and "Take a Chance on Me". You can also hear a couple of lines of "Summer Night City" in the 'Entr'Acte' (the most noticeable line is: 'Time to breathe and time to live')

Donna hums a few lines of "Fernando", when she repairs the doors of the taverna just before she sees her three former lovers, and in the Swedish production, Sky (Tom in Sweden) sang a few lines of "King Kong Song" before starting to sing "Lay All Your Love On Me".

The makers also intended to include "Just Like That", an unreleased ABBA song recorded in 1982. The song was apparently dropped just before the first public previews in March 1999, though it was listed in the programme available during the preview period.

Instrumentation

Mama Mia, as may be expected uses little in the way of orchestral instruments within the pit. This is due to the lack of space in most pits, however it is also because most of ABBA's origional songs used very little live time instruments. The current instrumentation is as follows:

Cast Albums

There were several cast albums released. They are available in Dutch, German, English, Korean, Spanish and Swedish

Dutch Cast Album

Tracks:

• 1. Ouverture / Prologue
• 2. Honey, Honey
• 3. Money, Money, Money
• 4 .Dank Je Voor De Liedjes
• 5. Mamma Mia
• 6. Chiquitita
• 7. Dancing Queen
• 8. Spaar Al Je Liefs Voor Mij
• 9. Super Trouper
• 10. Geef Me Geef Me Geef Me!
• 11. Als 'k Maar Weet Hoe Het Heet
• 12. Voulez-Vous

• 13. Entr'acte
• 14. Een Offensief
• 15. Een Van Ons
• 16. S.O.S.
• 17. Weet Je Moeder Dat
• 18. Zo Ben Ik, Zo Ben Jij
• 19. Onze Zomer
• 20. 't Glipt Me Door Mijn Vingers
• 21. De Winnaar Heeft De Macht
• 22. Pak Je Kans Bij Mij
• 23. Ik Wil, Ik Wil, Ik Wil, Ik Wil, Ik Wil
• 24. Ik Heb Een Droom

This cast album was released in The Netherlands in 2004.

Productions

[edit] Film adaptation

Main article: Mamma Mia! (film)

On April 19, 2006, it was revealed on Playbill.com and Broadway.com  that Mamma Mia! would be adapted as a film. Phyllida Lloyd directed with Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Benny Andersson as executive producers. Meryl Streep stars as Donna Sheridan along with Pierce Brosnan as Sam Carmichael. The movie also features Christine Baranski, Colin Firth, and Julie Walters. It premiered in June 2008.

Response

Awards and nominations

• 2000 Olivier Awards
  • Best Leading Female Actor In A Musical (Siobhan Macarthy) (nomination)
  • Best Supporting Performance In A Musical
    • Jenny Galloway as Rosie (WINNER)
    • Louise Plowright as Tanya (nomination)
  • Best Musical (nomination)
• 2002 Tony Awards
  • Tony Award for Best Musical (nominated) - Produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East, Björn Ulvaeus, Littlestar Ltd.; Produced in association with Universal Music Group
  • Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (nominated) - Catherine Johnson
  • Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (nominated) - Louise Pitre
  • Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (nominated) - Judy Kaye
  • Tony Award for Best Orchestrations (nominated) - Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Martin Koch
• 2002 Drama Desk Awards
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical - Louise Pitre
  • Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical - Judy Kaye, Karen Mason
• 2002 Theatre World Award
  • Theatre World Award - Louise Pitre (WINNER)

[edit] Box office and business

On May 15, 2005, Mamma Mia! surpassed the original Broadway runs of The Sound of Music, The King and I, and Damn Yankees with 1,500 performances. As of May 28, 2008, it is the 17th longest running Broadway musical of all time. As of January 2008 "Mamma Mia!" became the longest daily running show in the history of Russian theatre

As of 2008, the musical has been performed in eleven languages: English, German, Norwegian, Japanese, Dutch, Korean, Spanish, a mix between Catalan and Spanish, Swedish and Russian. It has spawned productions around the world including Australian, Irish, Swedish, Canadian, Japanese, American, Swiss, Dutch, Finnish, Belgian, Austrian, Mexican, Danish, French, British, Spanish, New Zealand, German, Chinese/Hong Kong, Israeli, Singapore, South Korean, Portuguese, Czech, Hungarian, Estonian, Slovakian, Latvian, Qatari, Lithuanian, Greek, Taiwanese, Chinese, Norwegian, and Monegasque productions.

Lone van Roosendaal has played Donna in three different countries and in three different languages: English, Dutch (understudy) and German.