Mamma Mia! at Orpheum Theatre Minneapolis

Before Hamilton and Wicked took the world by storm, Mamma Mia! revolutionized musicals. This musical is a combination of good music, powerful choreography, and a well-crafted storyline. British playwright Catherine Johnson masterfully created a story around the music of ABBA. With the help of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus themselves, they tinkered with their timeless songs to fit them for musicals and turned them into larger-than-life theatre tunes.

Jukebox musical has never felt as grand and as enigmatic as this musical. With songs from the Swedish supergroup, everyone leaves theatres feeling like a Dancing Queen. Mamma Mia is still unforgettable even after many musicals became box office hits. Productions of the musical still run all over the world — and if you are close to the Orpheum Theatre Minneapolis, then you are lucky. Mamma Mia! will be performed at the magnificent theatre during next year’s love month. What better way to show and feel love than watching this musical?

Mamma Mia! Tickets

‘”Mamma Mia!” flies as tuneful as a lark and as smart as a cuckoo.’ — New York Post

“It champions a conception of love as an expansive, empowering fairy tale force, with a banging soundtrack to drive the point home.” — Arts Hub

“A giddy guilty pleasure” — Variety

Mamma Mia! was the idea of English producer Judy Craymer. She was watching the musical Chess by Tim Rice in 1983 and loved the music created by Andersson and Ulvaeus for the musical. She was inspired by the song “The Winner Takes It All” and thought that the pop supergroup deserved a musical rendition. She arranged a meeting with the two musicians, who are the minds behind the disco powerhouse songs of ABBA. She told them of a plan to make a musical out of their songs. They were not fond of the idea. However, their decision changed years after. The iconic ABBA musicians commissioned Craymer, who began looking for people to join the development team. Johnson joined the team and began writing the book. To direct the whole musical, Phyllida Lloyd was commissioned. They worked on the musical from 1997 to 1998.

The definite highlight of the musical is the songs. Act One and act two contain 24 songs. All of which came from the disco era of ABBA. “Honey, Honey,” “Thank You For the Music,” “Mamma Mia,” “Chiquitita,” “Dancing Queen,” “Lay All Your Love On Me,” “Super Trouper,” “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme (A Man After Midnight),” “The Name of the Game,” and “Voules-Vouz” are in the first act. “SOS,” “Does Your Mother Know,” “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” “Our Last Summer,” “Slipping Through My Fingers,” “The Winner Takes It All,” “Take a Chance on Me,” “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do,” and “I Have a Dream.” All of these songs became classics with the help of the musical.

The musical’s story is set in Greece on an island called Kalokairi. The story introduces Sophie, who is about to get married to her fiance. The wedding is all prepared, and everything appears to be perfect. But there is one hope she wants to achieve, and that is to walk down the aisle with her father. The problem is the identity of her father is a mystery she needs to solve. While sneaking a readout of her mother Donna’s diary, she discovered that there were three men that Donna had an intimate relationship. She decided to invite all three men, convinced that one of them is her father. All of them accepted the invitation. This event caused a whirlwind of happenings for Sophie. For Donna, it brought back many memories. The men she avoided for so long are back. Her past and present are colliding. The question is how do they resolve this.

Mamma Mia! premiered in West End’s Prince Edward Theatre in 1999. It was a box-office hit and received public praise. It became a West End staple after that. In 2004, the musical transferred to the Prince of Wales Theatre. Its run in that theatre continued until 2012. It moved again to the Novello Theatre and continues to run there.

Its Broadway run began in 2001 as the production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre. It transferred to the Broadhurst Theatre in 2013. By 2017, it has become the ninth longest-running musical in Broadway history and the longest-running jukebox musical. Its box office performance was a stratospheric success. It beat the historic runs of classic musicals The Sound of Music, The King and I, and Damn Yankees.

The musical’s influence reached other countries as well. It has had productions in more than 50 countries all over six continents. Some of these productions are in Australia, Canada, Dominican Republic, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates. It has also been translated into multiple languages. Among all the international productions, it was positively received in Russia and had a historic run in the country.

The original West End production received three Olivier Award nominations in 2000. It won Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical. During the 2002 Tony Awards, they bagged five nominations. Also, it was nominated for Best Musical Theater Album for the 2002 Grammy. Other award-giving bodies like Drama Desk Award, Helen Hayes Award, and Touring Broadway Award also nominated the musical.

Due to how big the musical became, its movie adaptation went underway in 2007. It had a star-studded cast that includes Amanda Seyfried as Sophie, Meryl Streep as Donna, and Pierce Brosnan as Sam Carmichael. It premiered in 2008 and was a highly-grossing movie. Although the film did not make significant changes to the plot, songs were not included in it. It may not have gone to a musical route, but it was well-received by both fans and critics, ultimately leading to a beloved sequel in 2018 called “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.”

Mamma Mia! will be performed at the Orpheum Theatre Minneapolis on February 6 to 11, 2024. This is in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the musical. The cast will be announced soon. However, you can already purchase your tickets for this highly-anticipated show. If you want to laugh, cry, and be inspired, Mamma Mia is definitely for you.