Audiences invited to take chance on Ziegfeld’s production of ‘Mamma Mia!’
The jukebox musical "Mamma Mia!" runs Feb. 22-March 16 at The Ziegfeld Theater in South Ogden.
The jukebox musical "Mamma Mia!" runs Feb. 22-March 16 at The Ziegfeld Theater in South Ogden.
The jukebox musical "Mamma Mia!" runs Feb. 22-March 16 at The Ziegfeld Theater in South Ogden.
SOUTH OGDEN — Morgan Parry wants audiences to … wait for it … “Take a Chance” on an upcoming production of the Abba-fueled musical “Mamma Mia!” at The Ziegfeld Theater
Oh, yes. She went there.
“Give it a chance,” the director said before playfully milking that thought further. “Take a chance on us. Because of, you know, the song ‘Take a Chance on Me’? Even if you’re a guy who doesn’t like theater, take a chance on it.”
The jukebox musical opens Friday, Feb. 22, and continues through March 16 at The Ziegfeld Theater. “Mamma Mia!” was was written by British playwright Catherine Johnson and first appeared on Broadway in 1999. A film version starring Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried and an all-but-tone-deaf Pierce Brosnan was released in 2008.
“Mamma Mia!” is based on the songs of 1970s Swedish pop band ABBA — songs like “Dancing Queen,” “SOS” and the aforementioned “Take a Chance on Me.” It tells the story of a young woman, in search of her birth father, who brings three men from her mother’s past back to the Greek island they’d visited two decades earlier.
Parry says it’s hard not to love the musical, what with its “silly” storyline and infectious soundtrack. She calls the show happy and light, and “full of all these fun ABBA songs.”
But at the same time, Parry says there’s a deeper side to the musical.
“I also feel like there’s a lot of actual meat in the story, when you peel back some of the layers,” she said.
Parry points to songs like “Slipping Through My Fingers” and “The Winner Takes It All” as examples of songs that tug at audience members’ heartstrings.
“There are some tender moments that need a director to dive into heavier things,” Parry said. “Hopefully by the end of the evening you’ve laughed a lot, and maybe shed a tear, too.”
“Mamma Mia!” marks the beginning of The Ziegfeld Theater’s seventh season. The local production features choreography by Bryan Andrews and music direction by Heidi Potter Hunt. It stars Hunt as Donna, Lindsay Gladwell Kapetanov as Tanya, and Holly Hartman Pivonka as Rosie.
An opening gala and performance is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday at the theater, 3934 Washington Blvd. Student night is Saturday. Performances then continue at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, as well as March 7 and 14. Saturday matinees are planned for 2 p.m. March 2 and 9.
Tickets are $19 for adults — $17 for children, students and seniors — at 855-ZIG-ARTS or www.theziegfeldtheater.com.
Parry, the current artistic director at the theater, says she was glad for an opportunity to direct “Mamma Mia!”
“It kind of fell in my lap, and I said ‘Yes, please,'” Parry admits. “It’s a show about women — I love the strong female characters — and sometimes that’s hard to find in the theater.”
Parry said seeing “Mamma Mia! live is a different experience than watching the film version. She thinks that’s partly because the musical doesn’t translate well to the big screen.
“Sometimes, musicals written for the stage versus for film? Sometimes they just don’t work as well in the other direction,” she said.
One selling point of this live show is that the Ziegfeld production isn’t saddled with Pierce Brosnan, whose singing of “SOS” in the film may rank as one of the most cringe-worthy vocal performances of all time.
“Well, we don’t have him singing, but you also don’t get to look at him — so it’s a positive and a negative,” Parry joked. “But our guy playing that role, Kevin Ireland, he has a great voice. And the person playing the Meryl Streep character is amazing, too. When they sing, it’s awesome.”
Parry promises an “amazing, fun night” for audiences.
“You’ll giggle a lot,” she said. “It’s just a feel good, happy musical. The cast is incredible, as are the lights, set, costumes and live band. It’s the whole package.”
WHAT: “Mamma Mia!”
WHEN: Opens Friday, continues through March 16
WHERE: The Ziegfeld Theater, 3934 Washington Blvd., South Ogden
TICKETS: $19/adults; $17/children, students and seniors. 855 ZIG-ARTS or visit www.theziegfeldtheater.com.