“Mamma Mia!” was a night of spandex, sparkles and sexual innuendo, but mostly singing and dancing.
Reynolds Performance Hall was packed the nights of Feb. 15 and 17 with an audience eager to see the performance of the Mamma Mia! cast. Director of UCA Public Appearances Amanda Horton brought the show to us.
“For many, many years we have had requests from students, faculty and community members to bring Mamma Mia! to the hall,” Horton said. “This year it finally came together. The first show was sold out and we sold over 1000 tickets to the next.”
The musical was originally performed on Broadway and was taken internationally. According to the official Mamma Mia! website, over 54 million people across the globe have enjoyed the production.
The musical was written by British playwright Catherine Johnson who based the story of Mamma Mia! on the catchy songs of ABBA, a popular pop group of the 1970’s. Mamma Mia! was also made into a movie starring Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfriend and directed by Phyllida Lloyd.
The film was nominated for Best Motion Picture and Best Performance by an Acfress in a Motion Picture during the 2009 Golden Globes. Some well-known ABBA songs featured in the musical were “Dancing Queen,” “Take a Chance on Me” and of course, “Mamma Mia.”
The story unfolds on an island off the coast of Greece, 20-year-old Sophie (Kyra Belle Johnson) is getting married. She wants her father to be the one to give her away at her wedding, if only she knew her father was.
She finds her mother’s (Erin Fish) old diary in which she tells of three intimate dates with three different men. Sam Carmichael (Chad Fornwalt), Bill Austin (Ryan Hunt) and Harry Bright (Andrew Theo). Sophie figures that one of those men must be her father and invites all three to her wedding.
The story continues with the celebration of love, laughter and a surprising twist at the end.
“The musical was well produced, well choreographed and it had great energy,” UCA Academic Advisor Marie Smallwood said. “It’s one of those plays that makes you laugh and I’m glad it was local.”
The performance received a standing ovation, as if the crowd was saying: “thank you for the music.”
For more information concerning Mamma Mia! tour dates and tickets visit www.mammamiaontour.com. For more information concerning Reynolds Performance Hall shows and tickets visit www.uca.edu/publicappearances or call 501-450-3265.
image via http://blog.ticketmaster.co.uk/
