The popular Broadway musical "Mamma Mia!," coming to Knoxville's Tennessee Theatre April 9-11, has found even more fans after the success of the recent film of the same name starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan.
The popular Broadway musical "Mamma Mia!," coming to Knoxville's Tennessee Theatre April 9-11, has found even more fans after the success of the recent film of the same name starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan.
'Mamma Mia!'
- When: 8 p.m. April 9; 2 and 8 p.m. April 10; and 2 and 7:30 p.m. April 11
- Where: Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay St.
It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that when Hollywood got a hold of "Mamma Mia!" in 2008, it turned what had been a very successful Broadway comedy into a mainstream blockbuster beloved by audiences the world over.
Utilizing the general appeal of ABBA's music and the combined star power of Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan, the film grossed more than $600 million worldwide, making it the most successful movie musical of all time.
Kittra Wynn Coomer, who plays the practical and no-nonsense Rosie in the touring Broadway play, said the stage show has always been "enormously popular" since its 1999 debut in London.
But now in its eighth year of touring the world, the show is riding the wave of the film's giant success.
"It's been able to be successful as long as it has because of the movie," said Coomer. "The movie's reignited people's interest."
That wave will take Coomer and the rest of the "Mamma Mia!" cast to Knoxville at the Tennessee Theatre for five performances next weekend.
"Mamma Mia!" tells the story of Donna, a single mother who owns a hotel on an idyllic Greek island. Donna is preparing to marry off her daughter Sophie, and for the wedding, invites two of her best girlfriends: Rosie and the wealthy and multi-divorced Tanya, who is from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos.
On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, Sophie invites three guests of her own: men from Donna's past. Comedy, music and romance ensue in a musical that features the storytelling magic of ABBA's songs including "Dancing Queen," "S.O.S.," "Money, Money, Money" and "Take a Chance on Me."
Created by former band members Benny Andersson and Bj<0x00F6>rn Ulvaeus, the play has been seen by more than 40 million people around the world and has had seven sold-out years at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway.
Coomer, who has family in the East Tennessee region, thinks a lot of the appeal for "Mamma Mia! "is in the music.
"When you come, you don't realize how many ABBA songs you know," Coomer says. "That music has a universal attraction. ... It's infectious in the best sense of that word. By the end people really are on their feet dancing in the aisles."
Coomer said she auditioned for the role of Rosie on a lark. Now, she says she's really enjoying her first tour and seeing cities across the country.
"We have such a great time doing it," said Coomer. " No matter where we are, audiences seem to dig it. And I'm sure Knoxville is no different."
Stephen Woodward is a freelance contributor to the News Sentinel.
© 2010, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Comments » 1
trollhair writes:
Saw the play in New York and in Las Vegas and of course the movie. Loved it loved it loved it. I am going next week! Woo hoo
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