Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' global smash hit musical MAMMA MIA! will welcome new principals Lisa Brescia, Liana Hunt, Corey Greenan and Clarke Thorell to the Winter Garden Theatre (1634 Broadway) on Friday, October 22, 2010.
Broadway musical veteran
Lisa Brescia (Wicked, Aida, The Woman in White) will star as "Donna Sheridan."
Liana Hunt will play bride-to-be "Sophie Sheridan," making her Broadway debut direct from starring in the role on the U.S. national tour. Current Broadway cast member
Corey Greenan graduates from the ensemble to play the principal role of her fiancé "Sky."
Clarke Thorell (Hairspray,
Lone Star Love) joins the company as "Harry Bright." Tony Award® nominee
John Dossett (Gypsy) and
Patrick Boll (Faith Healer) continue as "Sam Carmichael" and "Bill Austin," rounding out the trio of men from Donna's past who are Sophie's three possible dads.
Judy McLane (Chess, Kiss of the Spiderwoman) and
Gina Ferrall (Beauty and the Beast, Big River) continue as "Tanya" and "Rosie," Donna's best friends and former back-up band known as "Donna and the Dynamos" who reunite on a Greek island for the wedding of Donna's daughter, Sophie.
Seen by over 42 million people around the world,
Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' global smash hit musical MAMMA MIA!, is celebrating over 3,700 performances in its ninth smash hit year at Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre and remains among Broadway's top selling musicals. The origin
Al West End production of MAMMA MIA! is celebrating 10 years and over 4,000 performances in London, an international tour has visited more than 40 foreign cities, and the blockbuster feature film adaptation, produced by
Judy Craymer and
Gary Goetzman, is the most successful movie musical of all time grossing $600 million worldwide.
With a worldwide gross of over $2 Billion, MAMMA MIA! is acclaimed by the Associated Press as "quite simply, a phenomenon."
Inspired by the story-telling magic of ABBA's timeless songs, writer
Catherine Johnson's sunny, funny tale of family and friendship unfolds on a tiny Greek island. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter's quest to discover the identity of her father brings 3 men from her mother's past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago. Songs including "Dancing Queen"; "The Winner Takes It All"; "Money, Money, Money" and "Take A Chance on Me" are all featured in this feel-good night of fun and laughter.
Produced by
Judy Craymer,
Richard East and Björn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal, the creative team responsible for bringing MAMMA MIA! to theatrical life includes some of the most gifted and celebrated talents of musical theatre and opera. With music and lyrics by
Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, MAMMA MIA! is written by
Catherine Johnson and directed by
Phyllida Lloyd. MAMMA MIA! has choreography by
Anthony Van Laast, production design by
Mark Thompson, lighting design by
Howard Harrison, sound design by
Andrew Bruce and
Bobby Aitken, and musical supervision, additional material and arrangements by
Martin Koch.
BIOGRAPHIES
Lisa Brescia (Donna Sheridan) has appeared on Broadway as "Elphaba" in Wicked, "Amneris" in Aida, "Cleo" in
Twyla Tharp's The Times They Are A-Changin' and "Marion Halcombe" in The Woman in White, when she stepped in for British star
Maria Friedman. Regional credits include the Kennedy Center's Side Show ("Violet"), Chicago's Wicked ("Elphaba"), the premiere of The Unauthorized Autobiography of
Samantha Brown ("Mom"), Evita ("Eva"), The Last 5 Years ("Cathy"), and Goodspeed's A Little Night Music ("Petra") and Brigadoon ("Meg"). For five years, Lisa toured internationally with The Mamas and The Papas with original members
John Phillips and
Denny Doherty. She graduated with honors from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts and was a member of the esteemed AADA Rep Company. The past year has been highlighted by the role of "Claire" in Roundabout's Ordinary Days and the recent release of the show's cast album, a thrilling summer with
The Public Theater's Shakespeare Lab, culminating with the role of "Helena" in All's Well That Ends Well and marriage to longtime partner, songwriter
Craig Carnelia.
Liana Hunt (Sophie Sheridan) makes her Broadway debut direct from playing "Sophie Sheridan" on the U.S. national tour. Recent roles: "Eponine" in Les Miserables, "Hope" in Urinetown, "Belle" in Beauty and the Beast. Recent graduate of New York University's CAP21.
Corey Greenan (Sky). National Tour: Mamma Mia! ("Sky"). New York/Regional: How the Grinch Stole Christmas! ("Adult Who," u/s "Young Max"),
Old Globe Theatre; Evita ("Che"), Int'l Tour; Under My Apron, MITF; 42nd Street ("Billy Lawlor"); Damn Yankees ("Joe Hardy"); Sweeney Todd ("Tobias Ragg"); West Side Story ("Tony"); Much Ado About Nothing ("Claudio"); Art ("Yvan"), Director
Jeff Lee. Graduate Pepperdine University.
Clarke Thorell (Harry Bright). Broadway: Hairspray (original cast, "Corny Collins"); Sinatra...His Way ("Host," Radio City); Titanic (original cast, "Farrell," "Barrett"); The Who's Tommy. Off-Broadway: Juno "Charlie Bentham" (
City Center Encores!), Satellites (Public), Sondheim's Saturday Night, Wise Guys (
Sam Mendes, director),
Lone Star Love ("Fenton"). Other: Catch Me If You Can (Seattle,
5th Avenue Theatre); Twelfth Night, "Orsino" (
Jack O'Brien, director); Floyd Collins, "Homer" (
Tina Landau, director); Palm Beach (
Des McAnuff, director); School for Scandal (McCarter). Clarke is a member of
Michael McElroy's Broadway Inspirational Voices and has performed as a vocalist with artists including
Dave Brubeck, ABBA,
Liza Minnelli,
Pete Townshend and
John Pizzarelli. Television: "Kings" ("Grey Suit Hale"), "Rescue Me," "Law & Order," "Strong Medicine," "Ed," "Sopranos" and the television movie "Far East." Clarke can be seen in the recent Lionsgate film The Winning Season with
Sam Rockwell and as "Clarke" in the new smash hit web-series "The Stay-At-Home Dad" on atom.com.
