Review: MAMMA MIA! Delights Audiences at Edmonton’s Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium

20-year-old Sophie Sheridan grew up not knowing who her father was. Determined to find out, she snoops through her mother’s diary for answers. What Sophie finds scandalizes and delights her: there are three different men who could be her dad. Eager to solve the mystery, she invites them to her upcoming wedding – without telling her mom. So begins the smash-hit musical, Mamma Mia! 

Featuring beloved songs from Swedish pop group, ABBA, Mamma Mia! first charmed audiences in 1999 on London’s West End. Since then, it has delighted more than 70 million theatregoers in over 60 countries and received a 2008 film adaptation. Until May 17, Edmonton audiences are invited to fall in love again with this feel-good production at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. 

Set on the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi, wedding preparations are well-underway for Sophie and her fiancé Sky’s big day. Luggage-toting guests arrive at the picturesque hotel/taverna run by Sophie’s mother, Donna. Sure enough, Sophie’s three possible dads – Sam, Bill, and Harry – show up, giving Donna the surprise of her life. Thankfully, Donna’s best friends, Tanya and Rosie, are there to cheer her up with humorous renditions of Chiquitita and Dancing Queen. 

Like its iconic ABBA score, the cast is memorable in their own right. On opening night, understudy Kate Cummings made her Sophie debut, starring alongside Jessica Crouch as Donna. Cummings is a triple threat performer whose melodious voice particularly shines during the ethereal ballad, I Have a Dream. Crouch is a vocal powerhouse, portraying Donna’s strength, sass, and vulnerability. Donna’s best friends/sidekicks, Tanya (Jalynn Steele) and Rosie (Carly Sakolove) are endlessly entertaining with their saucy quips and outspoken personalities. It is impossible not to smile when the trio takes the spotlight at Sophie’s bachelorette party to perform a rousing rendition of Super Trouper.

Though Mamma Mia! Is an upbeat celebration of girl power, it would be remiss not to mention the leading men. Victor Wallace delivers an earnest performance as Sam, an American architect who never stopped pining for Donna. Wallace loans his powerful vocals to the sage Knowing Me, Knowing You and duets with Crouch in SOS. Texan writer Bill (Leland Burnett) brings comedic flair, as does British banker, Harry, (Blake Price). And, in perhaps the show’s funniest scene (Lay All Your Love On Me), Sophie’s groom, Sky (Grant Reynolds) is unceremoniously whisked away by his snorkel-wearing friends. 

A sunny getaway filled with music, dazzling lights, and feather boas, Mamma Mia! is sure to delight audiences and have them humming all the way home.  

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