{"id":24152,"date":"2019-09-09T06:33:42","date_gmt":"2019-09-09T13:33:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=24152"},"modified":"2021-09-03T09:05:01","modified_gmt":"2021-09-03T16:05:01","slug":"mamma-mia-by-abba-presented-by-avon-players-rochester-hills-mi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/mamma-mia-by-abba-presented-by-avon-players-rochester-hills-mi\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cMamma Mia!\u201d by ABBA presented by Avon Players, Rochester Hills MI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Reviewed by Suzanne Angeo (member, American Theatre Critics Association)<\/strong><\/p>\n

and Greg Angeo (Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Photos by Bryan Clifford<\/em><\/p>\n

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Center – Noah Canales, Johannah Steinbrecher-Booker<\/p><\/div>\n

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Take a Chance on \u201cMamma Mia!\u201d for Nonstop Fun<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Sure, you\u2019ve heard of \u201cMamma Mia!\u201d, unless you\u2019ve been living in a monastery in Nepal for the past 40 years. Since this crowd-pleasing juggernaut of a show opened in 1999 on London\u2019s West End, it\u2019s been seen by over 60 million people in 50 countries and grossed more than $2 billion worldwide. It\u2019s also the longest-running jukebox musical in history.<\/p>\n

How to explain its enduring appeal? The story is an irresistible mashup of soap-opera-meets-sitcom laced with hilarious high jinks, sweet romance and a few moments of serious reflection. The book is by British playwright Catherine Johnson, with music by ABBA songwriters Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, who worked with the producers from the very beginning of the show. Many, if not most, of the superstar pop group\u2019s biggest hits form the sparkly framework around which the gossamer-thin storyline is loosely draped. This show is a real love-fest and feel-good nostalgia trip for fans of pop music of the 70s and 80s.<\/p>\n

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Pamela Plewa, Tracy Murray, Johannah Steinbrecher-Booker<\/p><\/div>\n

You could say this is another version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, as told by single mom Donna, an independent-minded American who has lived for many years on a Greek island with her 20-year-old daughter Sophie. The two run a successful taverna that caters to tourists and scuba divers. Sophie\u2019s wedding to the man of her dreams is coming up, but she has no dad to walk her down the aisle. After some snooping, she discovers three likely paternal candidates her mom had flings with – two Americans and a Brit – and invites all three to her wedding without telling mom. Big surprises, lots of drama and laughs ensue, all to the danceable beat of 25 ABBA tunes. It\u2019s silly. It\u2019s absurd. And it\u2019s fun.<\/p>\n

Director JD Deierlein keeps the pace fast and furious, richly textured with elements of slapstick and farce. Maritoni Harte\u2019s choreography consists mainly of simple disco-style dance moves, with the possible exception of the dancing Flipper Men (!) which has to be seen to be believed. Costumes by Anne Curtis and Michelle Kaiser range from sleekly colorful to downright gaudy. The eight-piece orchestra led by Matt Kush is more than up to the task. There are also some interesting off-stage chorus effects, directed by Deierlein, that nicely complement the performers onstage. The set by Brad Holoday is spartan and consists of two revolving pieces made to resemble small Mediterranean guest houses. It depends on effective lighting by the many-talented Deierlein to help change the scenes.<\/p>\n

The success of this show rests squarely on the capable shoulders of the cast, who display talents of varying degrees, but the result is nothing short of delightful. The real standouts are Tracy Murray as Donna and Johannah Steinbrecher-Booker as her snarky gal-pal Tanya. Also highly watchable: Salvatore Sbrocca as Sophie\u2019s beloved Sky, Mackenzie McIlroy as Sophie, and Bill Davenport as Bill Austin, one of the would-be dads. Some of the better numbers include: \u201cChiquitita\u201d and \u201cDancing Queen\u201d (both featuring Pamela Plewa, Murray and Steinbrecher-Booker); \u201cLay All Your Love on Me\u201d (with the dancing Flipper Men!); \u201cVoulez-Vous\u201d (ensemble cast, with some great choreography); \u201cDoes Your Mother Know\u201d (one of Steinbrecher-Booker\u2019s best moments); and the flashy finale, which has everyone on their feet.<\/p>\n

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Bill Davenport, Dan Romzek, Tracy Murray, Adam Wager<\/p><\/div>\n

Will we ever know who Sophie\u2019s father is? Who cares? They are all having so much fun up there, and are so enthusiastic, and there\u2019s something about the music and the story that just reaches out to the audience and invites us to join in the singing and dancing. Heads-up: Non-ABBA fans may be overwhelmed by the disco-pop and dizzying cuteness.<\/p>\n

But there must be a lot of ABBA fans in Oakland County. The entire run of this show, through September 21, is sold out. There may be a chance for tickets if there are cancellations, so it\u2019s worth a call to the box office.<\/p>\n

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When: Now through September 21, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

8:00 p.m. Fridays & Saturdays<\/strong><\/p>\n

2:00 p.m. Sundays<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tickets $22 \u2013 SOLD OUT \u2013 CONTACT BOX OFFICE FOR POSSIBLE CANCELLATIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Where: Avon Playhouse<\/strong><\/p>\n

1185 Washington Rd<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rochester, MI 48306<\/strong><\/p>\n

(248) 608-9077 <\/strong><\/p>\n

avonplayers@att.net<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0www.avonplayers.org<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reviewed by Suzanne Angeo (member, American Theatre Critics Association) and Greg Angeo (Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle) Photos by Bryan Clifford   Take a Chance on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":3,"yasr_post_is_review":"yes","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Event","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-24152","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-greg-suzanne-angeo"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"