MAMMA MIA! Dances In Detroit

Opening night for Mamma Mia! the musical was nothing short of brilliant. I was in that audience last night and the tunes performed are still in my head. From beginning to end, this play had me dancing in my seat and even dancing with a standing ovation.

This production has a special place in the heart of Detroit as it's on it's 5th visit here in 10 years. And although it was my first time seeing the play, I'm sure there were people sitting around me who were seeing it for {at least} their 5th time. Mamma Mia! is contagious with its spirit of fun weaved throughout the story.

Chloe Tucker brought such an innocent, yet fiery "Sophie" to life with ease. Her voice was pure enough to sing like an angel, yet it was strong enough to handle the intricate melodies and harmonies of the ABBA songs she performed. She was a pleasure to watch from beginning to end.

Kaye Tuckerman owned her role as Donna Sheridan. She was the perfect mother, gal-pal, hotel owner, ex-girlfriend, performer, and wife. {Phew!} Kaye nailed every song and stole the show with her solo of "The Winner Takes It All".  Her performance was powerful and it brought tears to my eyes.

There were also the three men who Sophie invited to her wedding. Sam Carmichael {John Bisom}, Harry Bright {Paul Deboy}, and Bill Austin {John-Michael Zuerlein} were each very charming. But it was John Bisom who stood out from the others with his performance of Knowing Me, Knowing You. His voice was so easy on the ears and his range was very impressive. ABBA songs are not that easy to sing and he made it look effortless.

Other stand-out performances were those of Mary Callanan {Rosie} and Alison Ewing {Tanya}, Ethan Le Phong {Pepper}, and Mario Matthews{Sky}. Mary Callanan and Alison Ewing were hysterical to watch and they had a chemistry that made me believe they were age-old best friends. Ethan Le Phong had a certain charisma about him that always had me watching to see what he would do next {and he was quite the...um...ladies man?}. And Mario Matthews was unbelievably perfect to play the role of Sky. He was written in the playbill as the understudy but he performed as if this was his role and his role alone. He was confident, adorable, and had that certain something that I'm sure will take him very far in his career. {The role of Sky will be played by Happy Mahaney going forward.}

I thoroughly enjoyed myself and was glad that my mom was able to join me for a "girl's night out". 

Don't miss this show while it's in town!

Performance times for MAMMA MIA!, appearing April 13-17, 2011 at the Fisher Theater, located at 3011 W. Grand Blvd. in Detroit, are:

-          Wednesday through Saturday performances at 8:00 p.m.

-          Thursday matinee at 1:00 p.m.

-          Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.

-          Sunday evening performances at 7:30 p.m.

**This is a review and publicity post. Thanks to the PR firm who provided complimentary tickets to view the show in exchange for me sharing a press release and my honest review following the show. I received no other compensation. The thoughts and opinions shared are mine and mine alone. Others may disagree.**