“Mamma Mia,” Westchester Broadway Theatre’s 200th Production is a Great One

Four star review

BY GEORGE J. DACRE

“Mamma Mia” has everything: a storyline that grips you, Abba music, a fantastic young cast dancing and singing and having fun and a socko finale including Abba’s “Dancing Queen” that knocks your socks off.

Bill Stutler and Bon Funking, the Producers, brought in “Mamma Mia” after a 14 year successful run on Broadway and WBT fans are loving it. Playing to a packed house last Thursday, which was Press night, “Mamma Mia” lives up to all of its prognostications. It is a humdinger and is attracting young and old and in between.

Set on a colorful Greek island, the plot is about 20-year-old Sophie Sheridan who dreams of her father, whom she has never known, walking in on her wedding with Sky, her boyfriend. She has found three names in her mother’s diary, strangers Sam, Harry and Bill and pretending that her mother Donna is doing the inviting, Sophie invites the trio. Sophie thinks she will be able to identify her father right away.

Donna, who owns an island hotel, and used to sing with a group called Donna and the Dynamos becomes stressed when the male trio show up and Sophie’s boyfriend Sky is upset with Sophie’s attitude. All this plays out to great Abba music that is soulful and loving and the choreography of the dancers and singers to the The Abba type music including “Honey, Honey” and “Money, Money, Money” works in well with the entire production.

Michele Dawson as Donna, the mom, and Mariah MacFarlane as Sophie, the daughter, are so very right for their roles and the show has a great cast. Musical direction by Eric Alsford, directed and choreographed by Mark Martino, “Mamma Mia” is clearly one of the best of Westchester Broadway Theatre’s 200 productions over the past 40+ years.

I rate it Four Stars Out of Four. A smash musical. Catch it at WBT. Call 914-592-2222 or contact broadwaytheatre.com.