Oklahoma ABBA fans should take a chance on 'Mamma Mia!' musical's 25th anniversary tour

Brandy McDonnell, The Oklahoman

For a quarter-century, fans of the iconic Swedish pop group ABBA and devotees of musical theater alike have been laying all their love on the jukebox musical "Mamma Mia!"

Directed by original helmer Phyllida Lloyd, the 25th anniversary North American tour of the international hit musical has proven a smash success.

The final show of OKC Broadway's 2023-2024 season, "Mamma Mia!" is playing through May 26 at Civic Center Music Hall.

Here's what "Dancing Queens" (and kings) need to know about the "Mamma Mia!" 25th anniversary tour:

What is the hit musical 'Mamma Mia!' about?

Set on a tiny Greek island, "Mamma Mia!" uses the earworms of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers ABBA to tell the tale of 20-year-old Sophie Sheridan (Alisa Melendez), who is preparing to wed her amiable fiance Sky (Grant Reynolds) at the rustic seaside inn her doting single mother, Donna (Christine Sherrill), has owned and operated for more than a decade.

When her best friends Ali (Haley Wright) and Lisa (L’Oréal Roaché) arrive on the island for the nuptials, Sophie tells them her secret dream of having her dad walk her down the aisle, even though she doesn't know who he is.

The bride confides in her pals that she's read her mother's diary and secretly invited the three most likely candidates from Donna's past — banker Harry Bright (Rob Marnell), adventurer Bill Austin (Jim Newman) and architect Sam Carmichael (Victor Wallace) — to her wedding in the hopes of figuring out which one is her father.

Already stressed about the festivities and her daughter's decision to marry so young, Donna is gobsmacked when all three of the potential dads accept their invitations, which they believe are from Donna, and land on the island the day before the nuptials.

Fortunately, Donna, the one-time lead singer of the pop trio Donna and The Dynamos, has her best friends and former bandmates Rosie (Carly Sakolove) and Tanya (Jalynn Steele) to back her up as she struggles with the past, present and future of her and Sophie's family.

From left, Jalynn Steele, Christine Sherrill and Carly Sakolove perform in the national tour of "Mamma Mia!"
From left, Jalynn Steele, Christine Sherrill and Carly Sakolove perform in the national tour of "Mamma Mia!"

What ABBA songs are featured in the hit musical?

Since "Mamma Mia!" premiered in 1999 on London's West End and then in 2001 on Broadway, the smash musical has been seen by 65 million people worldwide and grossed more than $4 billion. It also has spun off a hit film franchise starring Oscar-winning legend Meryl Streep, who recently talked up the possibility of a third movie musical based on the show.

Although the national tour of "Mamma Mia!" previously visited Oklahoma City in 2012 and 2016, and Lyric Theatre staged the sunny jukebox musical in 2018, the popular title has prompted OKC audiences to figuratively shout "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!," with the show attracting strong ticket sales and enthusiastic attendees.

Featuring music and lyrics by ABBA songwriters Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, plus some songs by Stig Anderson, "Mamma Mia!" features more than 20 hits by the most commercially successful pop group of the 1970s.

Along with the title track, the show includes other bouncy hits like "Dancing Queen," "Voulez-Vous" and "The Name of the Game" along with emotional ballads like "Chiquitita," "One of Us" and "Thank You for the Music."

Grant Reynolds and company perform in the national tour of "Mamma Mia!"
Grant Reynolds and company perform in the national tour of "Mamma Mia!"

Should OKC theatergoers take a chance on the 'Mamma Mia!' 25th anniversary tour?

"Mamma Mia!" absolutely lives up to its reputation as a thinly plotted excuse to cram as many infectious ABBA ditties as possible into two and a half hours of song-and-dance spectacle. But the show is also a warm-hearted mother-daughter tale, an appealing romantic-comedy romp and a light-hearted Greek island getaway.

Between the plethora of familiar tunes from Sweden's top cultural export and the wildly talented cast and creative team, the 25th anniversary tour production offers audiences a jukebox musical experience that hits all the right notes.

It's a testament to the deep talent pool on the North American tour that the role of Donna was played by understudy Emily Croft at the May 21 OKC opening-night show and that the substitute earned her "Dancing Queen" crown with her excellent performance, particularly on the wistful mother's ode "Slipping Through My Fingers," the raucous anthem "Money, Money, Money" and the show-stopping heartbreaker "The Winner Takes It All."

Considering her character's many duets, Croft played well with others, too: She and Marnell bring the necessary nostaglia to "Our Last Summer," while she and Wallace dredge up all the mixed feelings of the true love lost between Donna and Sam on their urgent "S.O.S."

Even before they don the fabulously ruffled, bell-bottomed and glitzy '70s costumes, Croft, Sakolove and Steele are dynamite as the reunited Donna and the Dynamos on their group numbers, particularly their shiny showcase on "Super Trouper." Plus, Steele, as the three-time divorcee Tanya, is funny and fierce as she playfully rebuffs a young would-be suitor with the catchy number "Does Your Mother Know," while Sakolove's never-married feminist Rosie and Newman's globe-trotting bachelor Bill team up for an uproarious rendition of "Take a Chance On Me."

As the bride and groom, Melendez and Reynolds generate sparks with their duet "Lay All Your Love On Me," and Melendez brings so much sweetness, innocence and longing to "I Have a Dream" that you can't help but root for her silly scheme to discover her dad's identity.

Anthony Van Laast's choreography and the skilled company, including Oklahoma native Dorian Quinn, bring the right energy to the nearly nonstop ABBA hit parade, particularly on the famed flipper dance that caps off "Lay All Your Love on Me."

Audiences looking for a feel-good jaunt to the theater and willing to spend a couple hours grooving to ABBA's iconic songs should take a chance on "Mamma Mia!"

But they shouldn't leave until well after the bows are over, as "Mamma Mia! (Reprise)," "Dancing Queen (Reprise)" and "Waterloo" form a post-show song-and-dance party that shouldn't be missed.

'MAMMA MIA!'

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Jukebox musical 'Mamma Mia!' brings ABBA hits and feel-good fun to OKC

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