‘Mamma Mia!’ Here we go again at Center Repertory
Is there anyone who likes music and/or theater who doesn’t know the story of “Mamma Mia!” the jukebox musical that inserts glorious ABBA songs into a really silly story, and inserts them in ways that are even sillier than the storyline itself? But that is just part of the fun — the whole show has a vibe that says everyone is in on the joke. And, like we said: ABBA songs! Hummable hits like “Dancing Queen,” “Take a Chance on Me” and “The Winner Takes It All” carry the show and are a treat in any setting. And here’s the other good news — it’s the musical that opens Center Repertory Company’s new season. This is the kind of high-energy, well-sung musical comthat edy Center Rep routinely knocks out of the park. The talented cast includes Leanne Borghesi, Lynda DiVito, Alison Quin and Mark Farrell. Details: Through Oct. 7; Lesher Centhe ter for Arts, Walnut Creek; $39-$83; 925-943-7469, www.centerrep.org.
A super-busy Sexmob
After 20 years, Steve Bernstein’s uproarious Sexmob has lost none of its volatile potency. Long before The Bad Plus started turning heads with extravagantly imaginative versions of grunge hits and disco anthems, the Berkeley-reared Bernstein was tearing up a century of American popular music with his smeary slide trumpet, rendering signature songs by Lynyrd Skynyrd, James Brown and ABBA with improvisational panache and emotional commitment.
The band opens its California run with concerts expanding on the 2013 album “Cinema, Circus & Spaghetti: Sexmob Plays Fellini — The Music of Nino Rota” Wednesday at Kuumbwa Jazz Center and Sept. 13 at SFJazz’s Joe Henderson Lab.
The quartet then turns its attention to the vast and sensuous body of music by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn on Sept. 14; and on Sept. 15-16, also at SFJazz, Bernstein unleashes a West Coast version of his Millennial Territory Orchestra, exploring the rough-and-ready music played by dance bands that crisscrossed the Midwest and Southwest during the 1920s and ’30s.
Details: 7 p.m. Wednesday at Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz; $29.40-$34.65; 831-427-2227, www.kuumbwajazz.org; 7 and 8:30 p.m. Sept. 13-15, 6 and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 at SFJazz Center, San Francisco; $25; 866-920-5299, www.sfjazz.org.