By Whitney Sorensen
Salt Lake City’s Pioneer Theatre Company once again proves it is a gem of Utah arts with the conclusion to its 2017-2018 season, the jukebox musical Mamma Mia!, which features the biggest hits of ‘70s supergroup ABBA. Although ABBA’s hits originally charted 40 years ago and this musical premiered 20 years ago, both the songs and the storyline feel fresh and timeless in this production.
Mamma Mia! centers on Sophie (Kathryn Brunner) and her mom, Donna (Coleen Sexton). This inseparable duo has lived on a small Greek island for most of Sophie’s 20-year life, operating a small taverna that welcomes travelers. With Sophie about to marry, she takes a chance and invites the three men who might be her dad to the nuptials (finding their names in her mom’s diary). All three men show up, to Donna’s total surprise, along with Sophie’s two best friends (Mikki Reeve and Elyse Niederee) and Donna’s equally devoted sidekicks from two decades ago (Amy Bodnar and Mary Fanning Driggs).
The entire play revolves around the conflict of whether Sophie and Donna will come clean about their secrets, and it takes place on a revolving stage with a few secrets of its own. James Kronzer’s set design at first appears to be only some majestic rock seawalls and a few beach piers, but it later opens to reveal the taverna’s outdoor courtyard and a few rooms inside. I loved the versatility of this set and how it contributed to several magical theatre reveals. In fact, I credit the fascinating set with keeping me engaged in the opening scenes of the first act, which are exposition-heavy and feature lesser-known ABBA songs.
The show takes off when Donna walks into the courtyard to find three of her exes. Her reactions to their presence become a monologue, “Mamma Mia,” with the three boyfriends standing perfectly still while she wanders among them and vocalizes what she wishes she could say to them. Credit for the scene also belongs to the lighting designer Paul Miller. His sudden switch from sunny Greek day to dark inner thoughts notifies the audience in an instant what is going on.
Although Donna is the true center of the musical, the first act focuses mainly on Sophie. She draws the audience into the story with “Honey, Honey,” reimagined as her reading her mother’s diary aloud to her friends. She talks with fiancé, Sky (Aidan Wharton), about their whirlwind romance in “Lay All Your Love on Me” before he heads off to his bachelor party. And she meets and confesses her suspicions to her potential dads in “Thank You for the Music,” “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme,” and “The Name of the Game.” Brunner’s presence onstage feels like an innocent Disney princess, which perfectly suits the role. You know she’s young, naïve, and learning her place in life, but you root for her because of her brave attitude, her clear voice, and her effortless beauty.
Speaking of the dads, each serves as an indispensable member of the supporting cast. Harry Bright (Paul Castree), a proper English businessman finally taking an adventure and getting out of the city, vocalizes the audience’s desire to escape into the music of ABBA when he recalls his old nickname: Head-Banger. As the man Donna loved most, Sam Carmichael (Brian Sutherland) represents Donna’s biggest regrets and also her greatest achievements, since she alone made his plans for the taverna into a reality and raised her daughter there. Travel writer Bill Austin (Dan Sharkey) acts as the most approachable and also the silliest potential dad. Watch for his on-point dad-dance-moves during Sophie’s bachelorette party.
Equally important in the supporting cast are Donna’s best friends from the pre-Sophie days, Tanya (Bodnar) and Rosie (Driggs). I love how these roles give Bodnar and Driggs places to use every part of their triple-threats. They deliver some of the show’s funniest lines, they get tender with the overwhelmed Donna during “Chiquitita,” and they each have their own scenes with which to steal the show. Bodnar’s comes during “Does Your Mother Know?” as Sky’s friend, Pepper (Matt Bauman) comments on her attractiveness and she shows her experience. Driggs has her moment during “Take a Chance on Me.” She uses the song’s well-known lyrics to point out her single-and-willing status to Austin.
Indeed, the entire ensemble gives every ounce of energy they have to the performance. I was blown away by the dancing talents presented onstage, particularly by the men. They pull out some eye-opening (and gut-busting) dance moves during “Lay All Your Love on Me” while wearing wetsuits and oversized flippers. Similarly, they show off some astounding gymnastics while trying to seduce Tanya in “Does Your Mother Know?” During this number, my friend commented, “Did they recruit from the Russian ballet?” Director and choreographer Patricia Wilcox has utilized every skill her cast members possess, and the audience is the benefactor.
Sexton as Donna carries off a slow-build to her character’s peak emotions in the second half. She begins taking total control of the show during an understated “One of Us,” interlaced with Sutherland’s equally mild “S.O.S.” — It’s interesting to hear ABBA sung with a focus on the lyrics instead of the catchy dance beats. Sexton’s voice conveys the most depth during heart-string-puller “Slipping Through My Fingers,” a reminiscence on how quickly Sophie has gone from girl to woman. And she pulls out all the stops on “The Winner Takes It All,” finally letting out every unspoken word to Sam.
I have very few critiques of this production of Mamma Mia! I do wish Sophie’s friends had more developed characters and more opportunity to serve as her support system the way Tanya and Rosie do for Donna — even Sky’s friends feel more fleshed-out — but that’s a fault of the book and not the production. There were also a few moments when the actors’ voices didn’t blend as smoothly as ABBA’s, but honestly, would anyone’s?
Few musicals demand an encore, but this one does, and it delivers it at the curtain call. Even the costumes take a bow during this three-song sing-along. In fact, Brenda Van Der Wiel keeps upstaging herself as more cast members emerge in full ‘70s disco wardrobes, platform shoes, and bell-bottoms included.
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I have so many more compliments for this delightful production, but I don’t want to steal all the fun. Just get yourself to Salt Lake before the cast and crew of Pioneer Theatre Company’s Mamma Mia! take their final bows.
Pioneer Theatre Company presents Mamma Mia! Music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and some songs with Stig Anderson, Book by Catherine Johnson
Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 S 1400 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
May 11-26 M-Th 7:00 PM, F-Sa 7:30 PM, Sat. Matinee 2:00 PM
Tickets: $42-64
Contact: 801-581-6961
Pioneer Theatre Company on Facebook
PTC’s Mamma Mia! Facebook event
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