With an ABBA hit like “I Do, I Do, I Do”, it was inevitable that an ABBA musical would be about a wedding. In “Mamma Mia”, 20-year-old Sophie Sheridan (Rebecca Hurd), is getting married to Sky (Liam Quealy). Her single mother, Donna (Susie McMonagle), an independent free-spirit who runs a taverna on a Greek island, doesn’t understand why her child would even want to get married.
Sophie wants what she wants. Although her mother has never even mentioned her father, she wants him to give her away. “I Have a Dream” fits this situation perfectly.
When her bridesmaids, Ali (Sierra Schnack) and Lisa (Katherine Lee Bourne) arrive at the taverna, she confides in them, mentioning that she found her mother’s diary. When she read the entries for the summer she was conceived, she found the names of three men, any of whom could be her father, the perfect time to sing “Honey, Honey”. She’s positive she’ll know which is her father as soon as she meets him, so, without telling her mother, she invited all three to the wedding.
Donna and her two best friends, Tanya (McKinley Carter) and Rosie (Elizabeth Ledo), used to perform as Donna and the Dynamos until Donna quit the band. While she was building her taverna and raising Sophie, Tanya got married and divorced several times, but Rosie never married.
When the three potential fathers, Bill Austin (Michael Accardo), Harry Bright (Stef Tovar), and Sam Carmichael (Jeff Parker), arrive, they spend some time reminiscing about the island. When Donna sees them, she tells them the taverna is full of wedding guests so they’ll have to leave. When all three say they have rooms keys, she takes off, avoiding them for the rest of the day.
When Sophie meets them, she has no idea which one is her father. Eventually they do the math and figure it out, then all three volunteer to walk her down the aisle. Meanwhile, Donna and the Dynamos, wearing gold bell-bottomed jumpsuits/costumes, make a spectacular comeback singing “Dancing Queen” at the bachelorette party.
In Act II, Pepper (Kevin Corbett), one of the taverna employees, put the moves on Tanya on the beach, while she tried to put him off with “Does Your Mother Know”. Will new love bloom? Rosie tries her own moves on Bill with “Take a Chance on Me.” Will old flames be rekindled? Someone will actually say “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do” at the wedding – but will it be Sophie and Sky?
ABBA requires sequins, so Costume Designer Marianne Custer put Donna and the Dynamos and her three swains in sparkling gold, silver and white costumes for a dance party encore of “Dancing Queen” and more.
“Mamma Mia” runs through April 14th at the Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. Parking is free, but valet service is available. Running time is 2 hours, 30 minutes, with an intermission. Performances are Wednesdays at 1:30 pm; Thursdays at 1:30 and 8:00 pm; Fridays at 8:00 pm; Saturdays at 5:00 and 8:30 pm; and Sundays at 2:00 and 6:00 pm. Tickets range from $55-$70. FYI (630) 503-0111 or www.drurylanetheatre.com.