"Mamma Mia" at the Broward Performing Arts Center Fort Lauderdale Farewell Tour

Looking for about 2 hours and 20 minutes of living a fairy tale on a bright sunny Greek island and dancing, singing the time away? “Mamma Mia” is the answer to any blues you might have.

The book of this musical by Catherine Johnson is light weight but the songs by ABBA, the choreography by Anthony Van Laast  offers laughs, not to forget a bunch of finely chiseled bodies wearing wet suits and flippers dancing around and a director Phyllida Lloyd who gets all the laughs and even a tear that the show can offer.

With all this it is the music that will have you moving in your seat with the conductor Kevin Casey and his orchestra along with the sound designed by Andrew Bruce and Bobby Aitken plus the lighting by Howard Harrison along with some of the most outlandish 1970s disco costumes by Ron Glow inside the production designed by Mark Thompson helping it all along.

Whether you are familiar with the songs composed by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus along with Stig Anderson, and this audience was more than familiar with them, you will feel right at home with “Dancing Queen”, “Money, Money, Money”, “Knowing Me, Knowing You”, “Thank You For The Music”, “The Winner Takes It All” with 16 others.

For the few who haven’t seen the show “Mamma Mia” is about Sophie (Lizzie Markson) who is marrying Sky (Dustin Harris Smith) and after secretly reading single mom’s (Betsy Padamonsky) diary she discovers her father could be one of 3 men; Sam (Shai Yammanee) an American architect, Bill (Marc Cornes) a Swedish writer and Harry (Andrew Tebo)      a British banker, and without telling Donna, Sophie invites them to the wedding while Donna has invited her old friends Tanya (Cashelle Butler)       and Rosie (Sarah Smith) who entertained as a singing trio 21 years previously.

All the leads are strong singers with Padamonsky and Yammanee having a bit of an edge mainly because of the songs they get to sing while Cornes and Smith do a very funny duet. They are backed up by a singing, dancing, acting ensemble that made the performance feel fresh, not a single performer on stage was phoning it in.

SPOILER: For those of you who run up the aisle as soon as the cast start taking their bows don’t as you will miss THE best part of “Mamma Mia” and which, since 1999, has helped make the show a long running success in over 23 countries including 14 years on Broadway.

Running time 2 hours and 30 minutes with a 20 minute intermission.

Check out  https://mammamiaontour.com/mm/  for the schedule of the tour.