And here they go again, they know the start, they know the end! Masters of the scene! They’re really glad you came, you know the stars, you know the game! You know what they mean! It’s— Mamma Mia! and now it’s here again! The 25th Anniversary tour, making the rounds across the country and landing for a brief spell in Washington DC at The Kennedy Center on the Opera House stage. You know the ABBA songs, you know the story by heart— if you can get a ticket while it’s in town, make sure you bring your flashiest jumpsuit and most glittery pair of disco boots! Directed by Phyllida Lloyd with Musical Supervision & Additional Arrangements by Martin Koch, and Choreography by Anthony Van Laast, this jukebox sensation will have you bouncing and dancing to every number from top of the show through to the Megamix-concert-curtain call.
It’s a simple sandstone set (by way of associate set designer Nancy Thun) and it’s effective— though sight-lines on the stage crew (members of the ensemble who bear the responsibility of turning the thing around) are at times a bit overlooked…you can see a hand prematurely on a guide-handle or see bodies prepping to their places for a scene change, which you wouldn’t expect on a high-dollar tour— and when combine with Howard Harrison’s lighting design, you get all the charm of a little fantasy-island somewhere in Greece. Match that up with all of the intense costuming (associate costume designer Lucy Gaiger) and you get ABBA vibes of the 70’s meets late-90’s jukebox musical in a fashion that everyone is expecting. The silver, shimmering winged jumpsuits for “Super Trooper”? Check! The flashy, glaring-neon winged jumpsuits in red, orange, and yellow for the Megamix-curtain-call? Double check! The day-glow scuba gear and UV-reactive black-and-highlights jumpsuit for Donna and the ensemble during “Under Attack?” It’s all there. From a visual standpoint this a textbook production of the smash-hit Broadway sensation.
Sound balance, particularly for the Opera House, is a little off. Sound Designers Andrew Bruce and Bobby Aitken are still laboring under the delusion that the audience needs to be blasted back into the reality of the show at the top of Act II and to kickstart the evening during the overture (this was true when the tour hit Baltimore in April of 2024, making it a design flaw, not a venue issue.) Grappling with the ‘off-stage’ ensemble balance also seemed to be a challenge for Bruce and Aitken, as nearly every single number features this unique premise— phantom voices from the off-stage ensemble providing backing vocals— though there were multiple numbers where this was well blended, which made for somewhat of a disappointment when the backing, off-stage vocals overpowered the main vocals on stage.
The shows dance routines contained the right energy, the right moves, but at times lacked the cleanliness and crispness one would expect from a 25th Anniversary National Tour. Anthony Van Laast had some moments— particularly in the ‘hen-night’ run of Act I, “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” and “Voulez-Vous”, that felt overchoreographed while simultaneously feeling underchoreographed. Too much structured dancing which detracted from the party feel in some moments, while other moments, where there needed to be structure, like when Sophie and the three men were pulled to and fro for their asides, lacked trajectory and read as sloppy. The high-knee kicks from the ensemble fellas during the back end of “Lay All Your Love On Me” also lacked crispness and polish.
Where the show truly succeeds— in addition to the resting laurels of its iconic music and story— is the emotional connectivity between the characters, their intertwining relationships, the overall “blockyography” that Director Phyllida Lloyd has set in place for the musical numbers that don’t contain massive, whole-ensemble dance routines, and the pure vocal talent carried forth by the cast. Lloyd showcases a keen understanding of all the emotional developments in the libretto, has a succinct knowledge of how the emotional arcs of each character overlap and intersect as the show moves from start to finish, and ultimately laces comedy with pathos resulting in an exceptional, feel-good experience from the production as a whole.
Pepper and Eddie (at this performance, Patrick Park and Nico Diprimio, respectively) have that high-octane, loveable goofball energy, living up to their moniker of “general help…who are generally no help at all.” Both Park and Diprimio give standout performances when dragging Sky off to his bachelor party events and can be noted for higher, slightly cleaner and more efficient flipper-kicks during “Lay All Your Love on Me.” Park in particular has a plethora of moves he gets to showcase during “Does Your Mother Know”, though he readily cedes the spotlight to the talented and astonishing Tanya, who owns the number, slays it, and really riles up the audience with all the give and take from both a physical and vocal standpoint in this number.
Sky (Grant Reynolds) and Sophie (Alisa Melendez) have a warm and welcoming chemistry that you’d expect from the ingenue couple in the performance. Melendez’ voice sounds incredibly mature at times, which detracts from the illusion that she’s meant to only be a girl of 20, but as most of her songs are coupled up with other voices, it’s a forgivable step in miscasting. Reynolds’ Sky only gets one true moment to vocally shine during the performance— “Lay All Your Love on Me”— and he nails it, really giving you that rich, robust sound. Melendez’ Sophie does have a more youthful feel and verve about her once she encounters besties Ali (Haley Wright) and Lisa (L’Oréal Roaché) and their chipper attack on the song, “Honey, Honey” has vibrant teenage energy to it.
What carries the show and really snags the audience— in addition to the expectation of the ABBA music & lyrics, and the flashy spectacle of the lights and costume— are the six superstar leads and the chemistry they build with each other and the rest of the cast when on stage. Tanya (Jalynn Steele) is a ferocious force of nature who is overflowing with sexually charged flirtations that build up the character into this feisty, comedic delight. When Steele and Rosie (Carly Sakolove) are tripping all over themselves, first during “Chiquitita” and then during “Dancing Queen” trying to revitalize the quashed spirits of Donna, it’s hysterical but also reads cleanly in earnest. Steele has powerhouse vocals for “Does Your Mother Know” and is not afraid to strut her stuff, owning every single step and note of that number. And when the trio are in Donna’s bedroom, with Steele and Sakolove trying to peer out the window to see Sam, Harry, and Bill, and Donna says “don’t let them see you!” Steele flings herself vertically up into the air, back from the window and make a flying log-roll style leap-fall back onto the bed. Her sense of comedic spatial awareness, second only maybe to Sakolove’s in this production, will have you in stitches.
And Sakolove rolls with the punches. She’s a true scream, as mentioned in both of those bedroom numbers but the real barrel of laughs comes from her undeniable chemistry with Bill (Jim Newman.) The pair are king and queen of the awkward comedic pause and are just wild to watch during their big scene-stealing number, “If You Change Your Mind.” Sakolove belts out a playful, booming sound for this number and Newman claps back with the same energy level, though at first his expression is more awkward and terrified and it’s just an audience favorite, hands down. The way they play, chase, and dance around one another in this number is arguably one of the best moments in the show! Newman also has strong vocals when singing with the other two gents, particularly for their tail-end verse of the show’s titular number and his overall approach to the character just feels extremely genuine.
Harry Bright (Rob Marnell) is the slightly reserved, calmly stiff-upper-lipped British chap who gets mingled into the mix of Sophie’s potential three-dads. Marnell is charming, understands comedic timing, and has a glorious voice that just drifts divinely through “Thank You For the Music,” a solo-start come four-part sing-a-long with the two other dads and Sophie. It’s Marnell’s duet with Donna, “Our Last Summer” that really endears you to his character portrayal. There’s a true sense of melancholy nostalgia, both warm and bright, floating through his voice for that song and yet the number moves along like a zippy bike ride. All of their reenactments of their grand Parisian adventures during that number show a lighthearted side of both characters and really give the audience a chance to enjoy the radiance of Marnell’s vocal capabilities.
You couldn’t ask for a more grounded Sam Carmichael than the one you get with Victor Wallace. The emotions are there, the turmoil is there, and the careful cadence of how and when these emotions are unveiled and released is delivered flawlessly in Wallace’s seasoned hands. The bitter biting, the gritty fighting, and the sting of regret all percolate at the surface of Wallace’s Sam, informing his expressions, his vocal intonations, and his interactions and exchanges with all of the other characters, but particularly with Donna. When Wallace delves into “Knowing Me, Knowing You” not only is it technically extraordinary— the man could melt butter with that voice— but it’s a heartfelt recounting of a painful memory that causes the character great angst and regret; it’s a tragically beautiful number to experience and really touches the cockles of the heart in a painfully glorious way. The knock-down, drag-out fight between Wallace’s Sam and Donna leading into “SOS” is gritty, raw, and feels hyper-realistic. His vocals are sublime in this number as well and you’ll never grow tired of hearing him sing, watching him emote, and portray an extraordinarily authentic Sam Carmichael in this production.
As Donna Sheridan, Chritine Sherrill comes into her own, and while some of the vocal choices and options she’s making early on— particularly during “Money, Money, Money” and “Mamma Mia” are questionably curious…mostly because she somehow sounds ahead of the beat and behind the beat simultaneously and it’s difficult to wrap the ear around from a rhythmic standpoint— she’ll blow your mind with her rendition of “The Winner Takes It All.” You get the raw, realness of this struggling character with Sherrill’s portrayal, particularly when it comes to clapping back against Sam. And she rarely smiles, which makes those moments of joy that she shares quietly with her girlfriends or with Harry in the lead-up to “Our Last Summer” truly rewarding. The soul-ripping agony that tears out of her during “The Winner Takes It All” readily wins Sherrill a well-deserved ovation, and her vocals are pristinely flawless in that number, as well as several of her other major musical moments. Fully invested in the character’s emotional journey, Sherrill will have you in tears when she sings “Slipping Through My Fingers” and when she finally joins the shenanigans of “Dancing Queen” you won’t be able to help but laugh. Leading her two best buddies through “Super Trooper”, you get the sense that Sherrill’s character is putting on her bravest face for her daughter and its moments like those, little, purposeful, intentional steps and choices that make the performance that much richer as a whole.
You know what to do, DC— take it now or leave, now is all we get— nothing’s promised, no regrets! You’ve got until September 1st to take those tickets, see Mamma Mia! and ensure that you do not regret missing this strongly led production!
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes with one intermission
Mamma Mia! plays through September 1st 2024 in The Opera House of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW, Washington, DC. For tickets call the box office at (202) 467-4600 or purchase them online.
