STAGES’ ‘Mamma Mia’ is Dazzling Production

With Fun, Frivolity and Music, Music, Music

by Pat Lindsey

No matter how many times you’ve seen “Mamma Mia!,” it’s always a party.   This especially rings true with the dazzling STAGES debut production of “Mamma Mia” being performed at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in Kirkwood now through Aug.19. It’s fresh, funny, and festive and it will make you long for the ‘70s and a tiny Greek island. But be forewarned…You’ll be singing the songs of ABBA for days afterward.

It never ceases to amaze me how a string of 24 ABBA songs have been woven into a sweet story about a 20 -year-old woman, who is about to be married, wants to find out who her father is. After reading her mother’s diary, she learns that there are three possibilities, so she invites all three men to her wedding–unbeknownst to her mother and fiancé. She then has 24 hours to figure out who her real dad is. There’s bound to be comedy and confusion when the three men arrive on the island the day before the wedding and meet Sophie (Summerisa Bell Stevens) and her mother, Donna (Corinne Melancon). The plot thickens when each of the men eventually figures out that he could be Sophie’s dad and each one expects to walk Sophie down the aisle.

The principle characters of “Mamma Mia” each has a group of friends that round out the cast. Every actor sings, dances, and adds levity to this show. Donna’s best friends were part of their 1970s act, Donna and the Dynamos, and form Donna’s support group as she deals with the marriage of her only child and then facing the three men she hasn’t seen for nearly 21 years. Tanya (Dana Winkle) and Rosie (Dan’Yelle Williamson) are a wacky duo as they participate in the pre-wedding festivities. They try to calm Donna’s nerves by singing, “Chiquitita” and “Dancing Queen.” When they appear with Donna as the Dynamos at Sophie’s bachelorette party, they really rock a jumpsuit.

Sophie’s friends are Ali (Aisling Halpin) and Lisa (Mariah Studebaker), who raise their beautiful voices with “Honey, Honey” and “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme” and many other songs throughout the show. Sky (David Sajewich) is the fiance and his friends, Pepper (Kyle Pollak) and Eddie (Frankie Thams) and others slay the audience when they appear at the beach in wet suits and swim flippers to sing, “Lay All Your Love on Me.”

This jukebox musical gives the audience an opportunity to get to know three possible dads, each with his own eccentricities. Sam Carmichael (Gregg Goodbrod), the one who designed Donna’s taverna on the back of a menu, sings “Knowing Me, Knowing You” sensationally. Harry Bright (David Schmittou) sings a beautiful duet with Donna (Melancon) in “Our Last Summer” and Bill Austin (Steve Isom) teams up with Rosie (Dan’Yelle Williamson) in “Take a Chance on Me.”

The story reaches its climax during Sophie’s wedding when she announces to Sky that she doesn’t want to get married, but instead wants to go off with him to see the world. Sam can’t stand to see a good wedding wasted, so he gets down on one knee and proposes to Donna. The beautiful set near the end shows Sophie and Sky and the cast silhouetted by a great big moon.

Seeing “Mamma Mia” live on stage is like receiving a lovely gift that you can open and enjoy until it’s time to get up and party with the cast and audience during the finale. The best is saved for last. To STAGES I say, “Thank you for the music and a perfect cast to create a fun-filled evening of love, laughs, and lyrics I won’t soon forget.”

For more information, call 314-821-2407 or visit www.StagesStLouis.org.

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