‘Mamma Mia!’ It’s Costa Mesa’s last chance to see hit musical
After 14 years on Broadway, the dancing queens of “Mamma Mia!” bring their farewell tour to Costa Mesa starting Wednesday at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
The musical, which has been seen by more than 60 million people worldwide in 50 productions, ended its New York run this past season and has since been on a “final farewell” tour of about 30 cities across North America.
“Mamma Mia!” is built on the songs of composers Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of Swedish pop group ABBA and is one of only five musicals to have run for more than a decade on Broadway.
The story follows a single mother whose past catches up with her on the eve of her daughter’s wedding on a tiny Greek island. The bride-to-be wishes to discover the identity of her father and meets three men from the mother’s former relationships who may be the possible dad.
“There’s a reason why shows get called ‘feel good,’ because you come here and leave feeling great,” said actor Shai Yammanee, who plays Sam Carmichael, one of the possible fathers. “‘Mamma Mia!’ explains love in all dimensions. You’ll feel all these ranges of emotion.”
The show had its London premiere in 1999 and is in its 18th year on the West End.
The 2008 film version, starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Amanda Seyfried, earned more than $600 million.
The production, featuring songs such as “Money, Money, Money,” “Take a Chance on Me” and “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” is a tale about love and friendship, Yammanee said.
“With this career, you spend a lot of time away from loved ones, so I can identify with that, along with maintaining love with someone over vast distances and time,” Yammanee said.
“But being told you have a child out of the blue is quite the surprise,” he added with a laugh. “There’s a lot of heartfelt depth in these songs.”
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IF YOU GO
What: “Mamma Mia!”
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, 1 and 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa
Cost: Tickets start at $29.
Information: (714) 556-2787, scfta.org
Twitter: @KathleenLuppi
