The Broadway hit “Mamma Mia,” now in its 25th year, is briefly back in Seattle. It’s as popular as ever, and why not? Combine the beauty of Greece, the irresistible music of ABBA and the love of a mother and daughter and … you’ll likely laugh, cry and want to dance in the aisles. I know I did.
Here’s the description: “Set on a Greek island paradise where the sun always shines, a tale of love, friendship, and identity is beautifully told through the timeless hits of ABBA. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the father she’s never known brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited decades ago.”
A glance around the Paramount the other night revealed a female-heavy audience. Although this show is not new — it opened on Broadway in October 2021, the Meryl Streep movie in 2008, (and the music is even older), it seems to work for young people, too. I asked my teen if people her age even know ABBA? “They might have an ABBA T-shirt, but no, they do not know the music,” she said. “But it doesn’t matter.” So there you go.
A tender, pre-wedding mother-daughter moment between Sophie (Amy Weaver) and Donna (Christine Sherrill) in “Mamma Mia!” (Image: Joan Marcus)
Before you go
First of all, if you want to get tickets: good luck. Move quickly. Be flexible. There are two “Mamma Mia!” shows each on Saturday and Sunday at The Paramount Theater in Seattle, so that might help. Here’s where to go.
Since we always try to arm parents with knowledge, just know that this is a “one crazy summer”and “three possible dads” situation. Technically that’s the plot, although it gets overwhelmed at times by the song-and-dance numbers and other general frivolity. (Mostly the singing and dancing.) But there’s definitely more sexual innuendo and some suggestive choreography.
Speaking of singing and dancing, word to the wise: don’t rush out of your seat when the show ends and the curtail calls begin. Trust me on this one.
Also on stage now (or soon) in the Seattle area: “Bye Bye Birdie” through June 29 at the 5th Avenue Theater. Coming soon to the Paramount: “& Juliet,” a twist on a classic, July 29-Aug. 3.
