“Mamma Mia” Sizzles at The Muny This Week

by Pat Lindsey

Anyone who enjoys the music of the 1970s Swedish group, ABBA, is in for a treat this week at The Muny with its debut of the musical “Mamma Mia.” Somehow, a collection of ABBA songs, including “Dancing Queen” and “Our Last Summer,” have been woven together to create a story centered on a 20 year-old bride-to-be, Sophie Sheridan, who wants to find out who her father is before she marries.

By reading her mother’s diary, she learns that there are three men who could potentially be her father, so she invites all three to her wedding on the Greek isle where she was raised by her single mom, Donna. The storyline is thin and absurd, but ABBA fans will leave saying, “Thank You For The Music.”

With temperatures approaching 100 degrees this week, it is fortunate for the actors that many of their costumes are skimpy and beach-themed, but this show also reveals a disco past life with plenty of dazzle and sparkle. Donna (played by Julia Murney) and her two best friends, Tanya (Jenny Powers) and Rosie (Ann Harada) put on their sequined jump suits and perform a couple of numbers from bygone days for the bride-to-be’s bachelorette party. Donna and the Dynamos haven’t lost their groove as they surprise and thrill Sophie (Brittany Zeinstra) and her friends.

Newcomer to The Muny and recent graduate of the Boston Conservatory, Brittany Zeinstra is delightful as the youthful Sophie who ultimately chooses a life of adventure with her best friend over marital bliss.

The three possible dads are as different as they can be. There’s Harry (Ben Nordstrom) the former head banger; Bill, the Australian adventure writer (Mike McGowan); and Sam (Justin Guarini), the architect and Donna’s long lost true love. Each one wins Sophie’s heart and helps propel the story to its big finish.

Muny-goers have come to expect a big finale for every Muny show and this one does not disappoint, although the audience will wonder if it’s really going to happen when the actors come out for their curtain call in plain clothes. The world’s fastest costume change then occurs and the stage lights up with disco mania and an electrifying sea of sequins as the cast performs not one, but two big numbers that get the audience singing, clapping, and swaying to the music.

The music for this show may seem  pre-recorded  but it’s actually all live musicians  and the stage sets are perfect. The screen at the back of the stage projects a hillside Greek village on a rippling blue ocean that changes from day to night. All in all, it’s worth braving the heat to just have fun and enjoy a show that has survived the test of time, including 14 years on Broadway. “Mamma Mia” is The Muny at its best.

“Mamma Mia” will run through Thursday, July 28 on The Muny stage. For more information, call 314-361-1900 or 314-534-1111.

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