Review: MAMMA MIA! at Des Moines Performing Arts

After a cold start to the year, the fever to be able to vacation is already starting to set in.  “ABBA” fever has hit Des Moines this last year. It started with concerts with the Des Moines Symphony and is continuing this week.  On Tuesday night, the 25th anniversary tour of “Mamma Mia” opened at Des Moines Performing Arts for a week-long run.  With the singing and dancing that came from the stage and the audience, how can you resist a trip to Donna’s Taverna and seeing “Mamma Mia?"

If you're unfamiliar with the show, “Mamma Mia,” is about Donna, a woman whose daughter is getting ready to get married.  Her daughter, Sophie, wants her dad to give her away.  The only problem is, she doesn’t know who her dad is.  So she finds her mother’s diary from the year she was born, and invites the three men who could be her dad.  When all three arrive, it isn’t long before Donna finds out, setting off a series of events that is a thrill for audiences to watch.

One of the things I enjoy about shows returning to the Civic Center is seeing which elements you see differently.  One of them that stood out to me more this time was the excellent lighting of Howard Harrison.  I love how intertwined in the show the lighting becomes.  It's something you don’t always get to see sitting up close to the stage.  I found it especially fun seeing how the lighting invites the audience in at the top of the show during the overture making the curtain look like it is flowing water. It also brings the audience in at the end for the curtain call and lets the audience know it is ok to join in the fun.

Visiting the show again, I was also excited to see how two new people interpret the roles of Donna and Sophie, the mother and daughter at the center of the story.  For this 20th anniversary tour, Christine Sherrill takes on the role of Donna, and Alisa Melendez plays Sophie. Both do an excellent job of bringing this duo to the stage and tap into the audience’s emotions.  One of my favorite moments of the night came towards the end of “The Winner Takes It All.” Christine put so much emotion into the song the audience was ready to applaud before she could get the final line of the song out.  Moments like that will stick with you for years to come.

There were also other terrific performances that evening.  Jalynn Steele and Carly Sakolove brought two of the most hilarious performances of the night as Donna’s two best friends Tanya and Rosie.  Each of them had standout movements throughout the night and brought the house down with both of their respective songs.  

As always, I like to shout out to the understudies, swings, and standby’s who keep the show open. For the performance I attended, we had Blake Price in the role of Harry Bright.  Not only did he step into the role of one of the fathers, he stepped into the one who has an accent, and delivered it exceptionally.  The show also featured Dance Captain/Swing Danny Lopez-Alicea as Father Alexandrios and Ensemble and Swing Faith Northcutt as part of the ensemble as well.

Whether you are returning for another trip to Donna’s Taverna, or visiting for your first time, “Mamma Mia” will have you feeling like a “Dancing Queen” before the night is over.  The story, the design elements, and the cast all blend for an evening that everyone can enjoy.  To find out more about Mamma Mia, or to purchase tickets, visit the link below.

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