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A Greek island, a Sonoma summer night, three possible fathers, a wedding \u2014 and ABBA. What could possibly go wrong?<\/p>\n
MAMMA MIA! arrives at Transcendence Theatre Company’s Field of Dreams with one enormous advantage.<\/p>\n
We already know the music.<\/p>\n
But knowing the songs isn’t enough. The trick is making us want to hear them all over again.<\/p>\n
Transcendence does much more than that.<\/p>\n
This is a virtually flawless production \u2014 terrific voices, exhilarating dancing, comedy, romance, heart and a company that seems to be having every bit as much fun as the audience.<\/p>\n
From beginning to end, it works.<\/p>\n
\nA Greek island may be the setting. Under the Sonoma sky, the Field of Dreams feels pretty close.
\n<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\nThe Story<\/h3>\n
Sophie is about to be married on a Greek island. There’s only one problem.<\/p>\n
She doesn’t know who her father is.<\/p>\n
After discovering her mother Donna’s old diary, Sophie secretly invites three possibilities from Donna’s past to the wedding.<\/p>\n
All three show up.<\/p>\n
What follows is a joyful collision of old romances, new relationships, friendship, family \u2014 and ABBA.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The women provide the heart<\/span><\/h3>\n
Allison Pearce gives Donna Sheridan strength, humor and vulnerability, while Karsten Lane Flake makes Sophie appealingly confident and uncertain at the same time.<\/p>\n
Then Donna’s old friends arrive.<\/p>\n
Tiffani Barbour brings glamour and terrific comic timing to Tanya, while Lori Haley Fox is a delight as Rosie.<\/p>\n
Fox has a special connection to MAMMA MIA!: she was in the original London cast, later performed on Broadway and appeared in the movie.<\/p>\n
That’s not merely a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 credit.<\/p>\n
That’s practically ABBA citizenship.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/a><\/p>\nAnd the men are every bit as good<\/span><\/h3>\n
The three possible fathers aren’t merely there to provide the mystery.<\/p>\n
They are terrific.<\/p>\n
Each creates a distinct character, each finds the comedy without forcing it, and together they give the story much of its warmth.<\/p>\n
There isn’t a weak link here.<\/p>\n
\nThe women provide the heart. The men provide the mystery. And this cast provides the magic.
\n<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nThank them for the music<\/span><\/h3>\n
Director Tony Gonzalez knows MAMMA MIA! from Broadway, touring and Las Vegas productions. Choreographer Monica Kapoor also performed in the Broadway production, and Music Director Susan Draus spent four years music-directing its Broadway National Tour.<\/p>\n
That experience shows.<\/p>\n
And then there are the songs.<\/p>\n
\u201cDancing Queen,\u201d \u201cSuper Trouper,\u201d \u201cSOS,\u201d \u201cTake a Chance on Me\u201d and \u201cThe Winner Takes It All\u201d are everything we want them to be.<\/p>\n
But several numbers go beyond simply being good.<\/p>\n
They stop the show.<\/p>\n
\u201cMoney, Money, Money\u201d is one. \u201cVoulez-Vous\u201d is another.<\/strong><\/p>\n
The combination of voices, choreography, musicians and sheer theatrical energy turns familiar songs into genuine production numbers.<\/p>\n
The live band drives the score, while the ensemble fills the stage with infectious movement.<\/p>\n
Soon feet are tapping.<\/p>\n
Then shoulders.<\/p>\n
And sometimes the audience simply erupts.<\/p>\n
By the finale, sitting still seems almost unreasonable.<\/p>\n
And apparently, neither was stopping.<\/p>\n
After the finale brought the audience to its feet in a standing ovation, the entire cast came roaring back onto the stage.<\/p>\n
Not simply for a curtain call.<\/p>\n
For two more rousing, full-production numbers.<\/strong><\/p>\n
The energy went right back through the roof.<\/p>\n
It was the perfect exclamation point on the evening.<\/p>\n
\nThe show was over. The celebration wasn’t.
\n<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nBroadway meets Wine Country<\/span><\/h3>\n
And Transcendence has one advantage no ordinary theater can reproduce.<\/p>\n
Sonoma.<\/p>\n
You arrive early. You picnic. The sun begins to disappear. Then the lights come up and Broadway meets Wine Country under the summer sky.<\/p>\n
But on this night, even that description seems inadequate.<\/p>\n
The picnic, the setting, the music, the performances and the production all become part of one experience.<\/p>\n
You’re not simply going to a show.<\/p>\n
You’re having a total theatrical evening.<\/strong><\/p>\n
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\nYou don’t leave MAMMA MIA! quietly.
\n<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nWhat it adds up to<\/span><\/h3>\n
Beneath all that ABBA is a warm story about mothers and daughters, fathers and children, old friends, old loves, and families that don’t always form the way we expect.<\/p>\n
Transcendence wraps it in a production in which virtually everything works \u2014 the principals, the ensemble, the band, the choreography, the comedy, the staging and that incomparable Sonoma setting.<\/p>\n
There are good productions.<\/p>\n
There are terrific productions.<\/p>\n
And every once in a while, everything comes together.<\/p>\n
This is one of those times.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Sometimes theater challenges us.<\/p>\n
Sometimes it simply reminds us how good it feels to laugh, sing along and enjoy the ride.<\/p>\n
Take a chance on it.<\/strong><\/p>\n
How to see it \/ Get tickets<\/span><\/h3>\n
Transcendence Theatre Company<\/strong>
\nMAMMA MIA!<\/strong><\/p>\nAugust 13\u201330, 2026<\/strong>
\nThursdays through Sundays<\/p>\nField of Dreams<\/strong>
\nSonoma, California<\/p>\nPre-Show Picnic:<\/strong> 5:00 PM
\nPerformance:<\/strong> 7:00 PM<\/p>\nTickets:<\/strong> $44\u2013$165
\nGold, Premium and General Reserved seating available<\/p>\nTickets & Information:<\/strong>
\nTranscendenceTheatre.org<\/a><\/p>\n
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