GLOBE PUTS FRESH, FUN SPIN ON MEMORABLE MAMMA MIA!
Globe Theatre’s production of Mamma Mia! proves a big musical can come in a small venue.
With 20 cast members and a five-piece band, this is the largest production ever staged by the company. High praise is deserved for the creative logistics used to adapt Mamma Mia! to theatre in the round.
For example, the live band plays from the foyer, watching the performance on a video feed.
Actually, the intimate venue provides a fresh approach for those who have seen the movie or another stage production. What could have been a liability is turned into an advantage. The story of a young woman inviting three men — each of whom could be her father — to her wedding on a Greek island has become quite familiar. This is a novel take. The level of energy the cast brings is memorable, and it does not just come from its large numbers. The chemistry between the friend groups — the bride, Sophie’s, young girlfriends, the bros surrounding her fiancé, Sky, and the two lifelong girlfriends supporting the mother of the bride, Donna — win over the audience. When the entire cast crowds the floor, it looks like they are, as the lyrics of Dancing Queen go, “having the time of their lives.” Even the most serious theatregoer can’t resist getting over themselves and having some fun along with them.
There is a strong Saskatchewan showing in the cast.
Originally from Saskatoon, Jane Cooke graduated from the Randolph School and now lives and performs in New York. In the lead role of Donna Sheridan, she shows poise and confidence — killing the crowd with her comic timing and breaking their hearts with a gorgeous rendition of The Winner Takes It All.
Donna’s romantic interest in the show is Sam Carmichael. Stephen Patterson, who grew up in Moose Jaw, plays the role. Patterson has a warm voice and the chops to move the crowd from seeing him as a villain to a hero as the story unfolds.
Globe Conservatory and University of Saskatchewan grad Jacqueline Block, as Lisa, and Regina-raised Natasha Strilchuk, as Ali, are joyful, kooky successes as the bridesmaids. Felix Leblanc and Megan Zong, also from Saskatchewan, join the ensemble.
In a sea of excellent performances, Kelsey Falconer stands out as Sophie. A recent graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Scotland, one imagines a bright future ahead for a performer with a true, soaring voice and engaging presence on the stage.
The musical — first written for the London stage almost 20 years ago — infuses the music and lyrics of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus to Catherine Johnson’s storyline. According to Musical Theatre International, more than 60-million people have seen Mamma Mia! world wide, and they call it “the ultimate feel-good show.”
An ABBA fan cannot be unhappy in the presence of the band’s music. And it’s difficult to imagine an unhappy audience member at the Globe Theatre’s season-opening mainstage production.
Mamma Mia! runs each day — except Monday — at the Globe Theatre until Oct. 21.