'Mamma Mia!' is a feel-good ABBA musical LI can't get enough of

On Saturday, "Mamma Mia!," the beloved ABBA musical, begins performances at the Winter Garden Theatre — the same Broadway venue where its original 14-year run began in 2001.

With its infectious jukebox score featuring hits like “Dancing Queen,” “The Winner Takes It All,” "Waterloo" and “Take a Chance on Me,” paired with a feel-good story about love, family, and identity, it’s no wonder theater insiders regard it as an audience magnet. (In her review, Newsday's Linda Winer called the show "ABBA's grandiose yet modest, dopey but disarmingly sweet glob of neo-nostalgic brain candy.")

Since the musical’s 1999 world premiere in London’s West End — where it continues to play — "Mamma Mia!" has delighted audiences worldwide. That includes Long Island, where regional and community theaters jumped at the chance to stage it as soon as rights became available.

As "Mamma Mia!" returns to Broadway, Long Island theater insiders shared why the show works and — to borrow a lyric — they’d all “take a chance” on doing it again.

'Pure fun and pure nostalgia'

Jeffrey Sanzel, artistic director of Theatre Three in Port Jefferson, remembers the first time he saw the show, which tells the story of Sophie, a bride-to-be trying to figure out which of her mother Donna’s three former lovers is her biological father.

“It’s not 'Sweeney Todd,' it’s not Sondheim, but it is pure fun and pure nostalgia,” he said. “That combination gives it this universal, across-the-board appeal.”

That magnetic pull was clear during Theatre Three’s May 2022 run. “There were people who came two, three, four times,” he said. “You could do it in your backyard with middle school students, and you'd get an audience.”

Cassidy Rose O’Brien, of Coram, played Sophie in Theatre Three’s production, belting out ABBA hits like “Honey, Honey” and “I Have a Dream.”

“I actually was not a fan of 'Mamma Mia!' until I started working on the show,” she said. “Then I realized there was just so much to love about it. The stage version just has so much vibrancy, so much heart.”

A 'no-brainer' to produce

As executive producer at the John W. Engeman Theater in Northport, Richard Dolce is always on the hunt for shows that will pack the house. When the Broadway run closed in 2015 and regional rights became available, he leaped.

“My job is to find shows that I think my audience is going to enjoy. And when 'Mamma Mia!' became available, it was a no-brainer,” he said. “As soon as we were able to get the rights, we immediately put it in the season.”

Engeman's 2016 production, which ran from July to September, “was very well received. Everyone had a great time,” he said. “At the end of the show, everyone's up on their feet dancing.”

Directed by Phyllida Lloyd in the West End and on Broadway, the show by Catherine Johnson (book) and ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (music and lyrics) is built to accommodate audiences dancing in the aisles before they go home.

“They just really came up with a good formula,” Dolce said. “It’s just really an incredibly well-crafted musical.”

'A gift that keeps on giving'

At The Argyle Theatre in Babylon, "Mamma Mia!" was a big hit in March 2022. Artistic director Evan Pappas calls it a crowd-pleaser in every sense.

“I jokingly say that if every theater could do 'Mamma Mia!' once a year, they would,” he said. “It just sells out. It brings in the crowds.

“It’s a gift that keeps on giving,” he added. “People love it. It’s like watching an episode of 'Friends' or 'Golden Girls' — even if you’ve seen it 20 times, you keep coming back for more.”

Ask O’Brien, who caught the Argyle production. “Around when we were doing it at Theatre Three, they were also doing it there, and I went to see it,” she said. “I actually saw it twice. It was wonderful.”

While "Mamma Mia!" isn’t “serious” theater in a traditional sense, Pappas sees its emotional depth.

“Yes, it’s fluff,” he said. “But there’s something more. Why else, in the end, does it grab you the way it does?”

Sold-out shows and familiar songs

In 2019, productions of "Mamma Mia!" dotted Long Island -— including one by the Sid Jacobson Community Players at the JCC in Roslyn.

Asked what comes to mind first about the show, the group's producer, Susan Kalman, didn’t hesitate: “Fun,” she said. Then, after a beat: “Sold out.”

Kalman had seen the show on Broadway and was eager to bring it to her stage. But as with many community theaters, getting the rights was a waiting game.

“I wasn’t surprised at all. It’s a crowd-pleaser. I mean, it ran on Broadway for years,” she said. She understands the desire to bring it back to Broadway and the Winter Garden, no less — where the logo with the exuberant bride is back on the marquee.

“The show is filled with music people know,” she said. “The average theatergoer loves some degree of familiarity. It makes it much more fun and easier to watch.”

Asked if she’d present it again, she didn’t hesitate: “Absolutely.”

A role to remember

That same spring, Star Playhouse in Commack staged its own "Mamma Mia!" Ariann Huether, a full-time musician and music teacher from Lindenhurst, played Donna — the starring role made famous by Louise Pitre on Broadway and Meryl Streep on screen.

“It was the last thing of note that I did onstage before the pandemic,” she said. “I really can’t think of a better show to have had as my last stage experience, before our forced hiatus.”

“We had great houses,” Huether added. “Donna was a totally fun role. The crazy comedy antics sort of happen all around her.”

She acknowledged ABBA’s music is a huge part of the draw. “The notion is that you can check your brain at the door, go inside and listen to some great disco music,” she said. “That’s what gets the butts in the seats.”

But beyond the glitter, there’s some emotional heft — especially in the show’s mother-daughter storyline. Her favorite moment? Not the showstopper “The Winner Takes It All,” but the quieter “Slipping Through My Fingers.”

“That soft, intimate moment between mother and daughter — that’s the one,” she said.

“I don’t need to get too deep about the show,” she added. “I would just say that as much fun as the audience has watching 'Mamma Mia!,' I guarantee you, the people on stage are having even more.”