Saturday, February 22, 2025, 7:29AM |  26°
MENU
Advertisement
Chris Stevens and Chelsea Williams are young lovers in the touring production of
1
MORE

Stage review: Take a chance on irresistible 'Mamma Mia!'

Thomas Garcia.

Stage review: Take a chance on irresistible 'Mamma Mia!'

There are few sure things as sure as "Mamma Mia!"

The jukebox musical laced with songs by the 1970s Swedish pop sensation ABBA has been on Broadway since 2001 and remains steady as she goes on tour. The show is docked here for a sixth time and earned a "Wow, Pittsburgh!" from the Heinz Hall stage during the exuberant encore on opening night.

In my first foray with the stage musical -- I know, right? -- I intended to be a hard sell. But in the end, I, too, surrendered to the charms of "Mamma Mia!"

Advertisement

Now I can't get "Waterloo" out of my head.

‘Mamma Mia!’
Where: PNC Broadway Across America — Pittsburgh at Heinz Hall, Downtown.
When: 7:30 p.m. today and Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets: $23-$68; trustarts.org or 412-392-4900.

The premise of "Mamma Mia!" is fraught with so many potentially polarizing issues -- a single mother who doesn't know which of three men is her daughter's father and a young woman who lies and schemes to find her dad -- it's a wonder that the show still feels sunny and silly. That's due in no small part to the energetic touring troupe and the glow of the Greek isle setting as much as those hummable songs by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. Catherine Johnson wrote the book that incorporates the title song, "Dancing Queen," "Take a Chance on Me" and more global chart-toppers.

The show begins, ends and centers on 20-year-old bride-to-be Sophie, who wants to have her father walk her down the aisle. As Sophie, Chelsea Williams grounds the show with a sweet yearning, in contrast to the chaos all around her.

If your only experience of the story is the Meryl Streep film, as was mine before Tuesday, you may be surprised by just how much this is the story of Sophie, the daughter of Donna (Georgia Kate Haege), a former girl-group lead singer who has spent 20 years building up and running an island inn while rearing her daughter. Sophie is about to have "a white wedding" to handsome Sky (Chris Stevens). After reading her mother's diaries circa 1979, she invites the three candidates who could be the dad of her dreams.

Advertisement

Add her mother's former bandmates -- oft-divorced cougar Tanya (Gabrielle Mirabella) and free spirit Rosie (the hilarious Carly Sakolove) -- plus fun-loving island boys who work at the inn, and the sexual innuendo and recriminations just keep on coming. When it's discovered that Sophie has lured her three potential dads to the island, Donna's stress level hits the boiling point while mischief reigns all around her.

It's obvious that Sam (Jeff Drushal) and Donna still have a connection, although dandy Harry (Mark A. Harmon) and adventurer Bill (Michael Colavolpe) are good eggs who want to help Donna and do right by Sophie. Along the way, Ms. Haege gets a chance to show off her vocals on "The Winner Takes It All," and Ms. Williams is a standout on "I Have a Dream."

For those of us nostalgic for warm weather, there's a deep sigh in the pleasure of seemingly simple white-washed set pieces that turn indoors to outdoors and the sun and sand implied by barefoot women and shirtless beach boys.

As the show builds to the climactic wedding, Bill and Rosie have a comedic dalliance that's priceless, old love is rekindled, and ABBA hits keep on coming.

The opening-night audience knew to stick around for the encore, when an explosion of sparkle and Spandex drapes the best dance moves of the night. Watch for Mr. Stevens among the ensemble, cutting loose and seemingly having a blast, as was the crowd, up on its collective feet and clapping all the way. That's when Ms. Haege, in appreciation for the love emanating from throughout Heinz Hall, said good night with a "Wow, Pittsburgh!"

First Published: February 12, 2014, 6:54 p.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Preston Coleman, 52, was beaten and strangled inside an Aliquippa VFW on Jan. 5, 2025, in what police described as a vicious, unprovoked attack.
1
news
Bartender working at Aliquippa VFW during beating that left man unconscious facing charges
The University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning
2
business
Amid funding uncertainty, Pitt pauses doctoral admissions
Mayor Ed Gainey during  a press conference at the Downtown Public Safety Center on Thursday. He angrily criticized what he believes negative media coverage of his work as mayor.
3
opinion
Brandon McGinley: ‘The wheels are coming off’ the Gainey administration
Dr. Sylvia Owusu-Ansah helped writers of "The Pitt" with her perspective working in emergency medicine.
4
a&e
'It's very real,' says the Pittsburgh ER doctor who consulted on 'The Pitt' TV show
Longtime KDKA-TV host Jon Burnett on May 22, 2019.
5
a&e
Jon Burnett, long a KDKA-TV staple, leaves legacy of ‘putting good out into the world’
Chris Stevens and Chelsea Williams are young lovers in the touring production of "Mamma Mia!" at Heinz Hall through Sunday.  (Thomas Garcia.)
Thomas Garcia.
Advertisement
LATEST ae
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story