Mamma Mia!Program Cover
Music and Lyrics by Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulveaus
Some songs written by Stig Anderson
Book by Catherine Johnson
Originally conceived by Judy Cramer
Review By Ernest Edwards
Mamma Mia! The hit 1999 stage musical based on the songs of ABBA is playing at Lyric Arts through May 10, 2026. I went to the production last night, which is opening weekend. I want to point out, the musical sold out a week before the show opened. That is a testament not only to the popularity of Mamma Mia!, but also to Lyric Arts reputation as a theater company.
I have seen Mamma Mia! multiple time over the years. There’s been Broadway tours, local productions,
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| Photo by Molly Jay |
and high school productions. As a jukebox musical, Mamma Mia! works very well, whereas some other jukebox musicals do not work as well. Mamma Mia! has a story that goes well with the music. The story and songs, along with the cast add some great character growth, advances the plot, and plus it’s a lot of fun!
At its core, the story is about a mother/daughter relationship. Donna owns a hotel/taverna on a small Greek island. She has raised her daughter Sophie all by herself. Sophie is getting married to Sky. She did some digging in her Mom’s diary, and found not only one potential father, but three from the summer of 1979. Sophie invites all three to her wedding believing she will know who her father is when she sees him. Donna is very surprised, to see Sam, Bill and Harry back on the island after all these years and the day before her/their daughter’s wedding.
Donna’s friends Tonya and Rosie have also arrived for the wedding. They reunite as Donna and the
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| Photo by Molly Jay |
Dynamo’s for a bachelorette party entertainment for Sophie and the girls. They do a great version of the ABBA song “Super Trooper” with 1970’s costumes too.
During the after party, Sophie has private conversations with Bill, Harry and Sam. All three realize they could be her father and offer to walk her down the aisle.
The Second Act opens to Sophie having a nightmare singing the song “Under Attack”.
For being a musical that takes place over two days. A lot does happen.
Lyric Arts has a great cast, costumes and scenic designers for this production. Directory Kasey Skoretz did a great job with this production. Although it is spring (kind of/soft of) here in the Twin Cities metro. It did feel like you were on a Greek island inside at Lyric Arts with the scenery designed by Michaela Lochen, and costumes designed by Caroline A. Zaltron. The scenery worked very well for transitions between scenes. Loved how things were hidden in plain sight. Lyric Arts uses all of the aisles for this production. It was fun to see every square inch of the space used.
Let’s also talk about this wonderful cast. I shouldn’t have say this, but it’s a wonderful diverse cast that
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| Photo by Molly Jay |
also includes some body positivity. Basically what you see every day in real life is what you see on stage with this cast. That is pretty amazing. The cast is lead by Lisa Vogel as Donna, Raquel Ponce as Sophie, Jordan Dewayne-White Kueng as Sky, Emily Jabas as Rosie, Hollie Kingdon as Tanya, Eric Lee as Sam, France A. Roberts as Harry, Keith Reilly as Bill, Daze Bishop as Lisa, and Malea Hanson as Ali. Lisa Vogel as Donna had an excellent journey that her character went through, and her vocals in these ABBA songs is hard to match. Her rendition of “The Winner Takes It All” is not to be missed. I also like France A. Roberts as Harry. He brought a lot to that character and made Harry fun in the process. I also really liked Keith Reilly as Bill. The actor having tattoos on one one arm and one leg, really seemed to fit the character of Bill. The adventurer! Holli Kingston as Tanya get’s a several moments to shine. One of the best is the song “Does Your Mother Know?” Emily Jabas’s as Rosie has a fun number singing with Bill the song “Take A Chance on Me”.
Similar to the Ancient Greek stories. Mamma Mia! has some twists of fate, but everything does work out
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| Photo by Molly Jay |
in the end. The musical contains 23 ABBA songs. One of the best parts of this fun show, is the curtain call. They do a peformance of 3 ABBA songs and drop the mirror ball. Then Donna, Tonya, and Rosie appear in 1970’s costumes, as does Bill, Harry and Sam. The curtain call is the cherry on top of the sweet dessert that this production is.
Normally I would say drop everything and get yourself some tickets to this wonderful musical. It is already sold out for the entire run. There could be cancellations. Keep checking Lyric Arts website at www.lyricarts.org for tickets. The musical runs through May 10, 2026.
