Interview: Between Universal and Silly: MSMT Panel Discusses MAMMA MIA!

"It's the music and the storytelling; the storytelling walks a fine line between being universal and silly. There is a lot of humor and a lot of warmth and so many relationships you can connect with. All that coupled with joyful, upbeat, recognizable music - those crazy tunes by those inspired creators - make for magic." Leading lady Lauren Mufson is explaining what she believes to be the enduring appeal of the joyous ABBA musical, Mamma Mia! In which she is currently playing Donna Sheridan, a role she performed on Broadway and national tour. She is joined by a panel of other artists - actors Ian Knauer (Sam Carmichael), Mylinda Hull (Rosie), Chelsea Williams (Sophie) and stage manager Mark Johnson - all involved with the stunning revival that opened to rave reviews at Maine State Music Theatre on August 11th for the last in the Peek Behind the Curtain series of interviews by Broadway World's Carla Maia Verdino-Süllwold, held at Brunswick's Curtis Memorial Library on August 17th.

Knauer, who also has a history with the show, takes up the theme: "Theatre is often a response to what is going on in our lives. Mamma Mia! opened right after the tragedy of 9/11, and I think people said to themselves 'I need to laugh and have a good time and feel loved and feel as if we are all connected.' And that is definitely what this show does!"

The panelists take some time to analyze their individual characters. Mufson says that coming back to the role of Donna after almost ten years has definitely been a "nice, new challenge. One of the biggest differences for me is that I am now a mother, which I was not when I played the part on Broadway and tour. It's a big role with a great deal of singing, so I had to get my body in shape to do it now. But to be able to revisit a larger role like this that has a journey and to find her humor and sensitivity again are real luxuries."

Mufson also feels the ABBA score contributes a great deal to the infectiousness of the show. "When I was a kid in the 70s, their songs didn't appeal to me, but once I got involved in the show for a long period of time, I saw what they accomplished as musicians with their unique sound. As Swedes, they didn't really speak English and they used a dictionary to create the lyrics, but somehow they work wonderfully! They tell stories, and they have this textured backup sound that had not been done before. There are feel-good anthems that survive the test of time. I can be in the supermarket and 'Dancing Queen' will come on, and I cannot help but feel good!"

For Hull it is the friendship component of the show special that she finds special. "These three grownup women have a wonderful friendship, and it is glorious to be able to play that friendship on stage. All three of us [Mufson, Jennifer Swiderski as Tanya, and Hull herself] hit it off like gangbusters, so the scenes feel natural and truthful. Here are these three women who have gone off to different parts of the world and come back together, and like best friends anywhere, it is a joy for them to pick up where they had left off."

Knauer concurs that it is also fun to have "the guys' perspectives in a show that is definitely a women's show." He believes "Sam comes back to the island to rekindle a relationship with Donna because he has continued to pine for her throughout the years. Divorced with two sons, he has, I believe, always been with Donna in his head. It is fun to play the innocence and the journey." Knauer also feels that to make Sam's impulsive wedding to Donna believable, he has to convince the audience that "Sam has never loved Lorraine and his connection to Donna is very passionate no matter how much they may argue."

Williams thinks that her scene with Knauer's Sam when he tries to gives her pre-nuptial advice is the turning point for her character of Sophie. "All three of these men are potentially her father; she connects with each separately, and it proves to be more confusing than she ever thought. Sam affords her a bit of a reality check about whether she is too young to dash off into marriage."

Asked about some of the other ingredients for this Mamma Mia's success, Johnson cites the "MSMT's terrific casting which chooses artists whom they can trust to know what they are doing and find their own way to some extent."

Hull praises the artistry of director/choreographer Mark Martino. "I worked with him a few years back as Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls. It takes a very special super organized director to pull off what he has accomplished here in fourteen days. He did everything! I would say to him, 'You are driving the bus!' because he was so completely organized ahead of time, but he allowed us space as well. He has a big vision and also the ability to let you play around a little until you find the scene."

Williams comments on the perfection of Jeff Hendry's costume design. "Those costumes, especially the glittery jumpsuits and platform shoes, are personifications of the music - colorful, glitzy, sequined, magical. Sophie's outfits are fun to wear because they capture her Bohemian spirit, and in 'Voulez-vous?' everyone is all glitter and rainbow." Knauer concurs, sharing an amusing story about his own outrageously funny attire for the finale and says he feels the humor animates the designs and the show.

That delightful, lively, upbeat feeling inevitably makes Mamma Mia! a celebration for cast, crew, and audience alikE. Johnson explains," By the time we got to this last show of the season, we were all ready for a bit of joy. After so many people having to do double duty (rehearsing one show and performing another at same time) and after the intensity of Evita and Fiddler, we needed some levity. Mamma Mia! is a 180 degree detour in that direction and gave all of us a reason to get out of bed each day and come to work no matter how exhausted or challenged by some unforeseen crises we might have been - (he is talking about injuries, sudden illnesses, and personnel changes). But," he adds, "no matter what, it is the magic of Live Theatre that always sustains you. You know there is work to be done, and you know it is totally worth it. That's the beauty of this profession."

His remarks are greeted by appreciative applause, and as the other panelists nod in agreement, Williams jumps in to recount her personal journey to the stage. A Mainer raised in Windham, Williams sums up her feelings: " As a youngster I saw shows at MSMT - Brigadoon, Cats - and I felt their emotional pull. I remember crying all the way through 'Memory' and not really knowing why, but I knew it was beautiful. So MSMT is really the place I first experienced how electrifying Live Theatre can be. Live Theatre is the best thing that exists in the world, and for me to be able to come back to perform on this stage now that I have figured that out is beyond special. It is literally a dream come true!"

Photograph by Olivia Wenner

Mamma Mia! Runs until August 27 at the Pickard Theatre, 1 Bath Rd., Brunswick, ME. Information: 207-725-8760 MSMT's Peek Behind the Curtain series will continue for a fourth season in summer 2017 on the first Wednesday after the opening of each show - dates to be announced on www.msmt.org.