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| Tanya (Christine Capsuto-Shulman, left), Donna (Merrill Peiffer) and Rosie (Jacquie McCarley) sing "Dancing Queen." |
When it comes to exhilarating fun, it’s hard to beat
Hillbarn Theatre’s production of “Mamma Mia!”
This musical, with its well known, toe-tapping songs
by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA fame, just keeps bubbling along.
With Dan Demers’ sure-handed direction and a
likeable, energetic cast, everything adds up to pure enjoyment.
It even has an interesting book by Catherine
Johnson.
It starts when 20-year-old Sophie Sheridan (Sofia
Costantini) is about to be married to Sky (Matt Ono) in 1999 and wants her dad
to walk her down the aisle. There’s a problem: She doesn’t know who he is.
Her single mom, Donna (Merrill Peiffer), who owns a
taverna on a Greek island, won’t talk about him. However, by reading Donna’s
diary from about the time she would have been conceived, Sophie discovers three
candidates for her dad.
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| Dad candidates Bill (Lawrence Long, left) Sam (Randy Allen) and Harry (Brandon Savage) arrive on the island. |
Assuming she’ll know him right away, she invites the
three to the island, unbeknownst to Donna. When Bill Austin (Lawrence Long), Sam
Carmichael (Randy Allen) and Harry Bright (Brandon Savage) arrive, she’s
furious.
In the meantime, she has invited two longtime
friends, Tanya (Christine Capsuto-Shulman) and Rosie (Jacquie McCarley), to the
island, too. The three of them were once a disco girls group.
Thus the stage is set for one hit tune after
another: “Money, Money, Money,” “Thank You for the Music,” “Gimme! Gimme!
Gimme!” “One of Us,” “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” the title song and more.
Another hit is “Dancing Queen,” sung by Donna, Tanya
and Rosie as they reprise their disco act. This scene also displays the talents
of costume designer Y. Sharon Peng, who has created an array of outfits for the
show plus the hair, makeup and props.
Then there’s the creative choreography by Zoë
Swenson-Graham. Just one example is “Lay All Your Love on Me,” in which the
younger men dance in wet suits and flippers.
Although everyone in the cast is commendable,
Capsuto-Shulman as the oft-married, sexy, flirtatious Tanya is an audience
favorite. When the company came out dancing for the curtain call on opening
night, the short wrap skirt to her glittery costume fell off, so she blithely
picked it up and tossed it into the audience.
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| Matt Ono is Sky; Sofia Costantini is Sophie. |
Costantini as Sophie not only sings well but has an
expressive face that registers her character’s emotions without a need to
speak.
Kudos also go to Paulino Deleal for the functional
set, to Grant Huberty for the sound design and to Rick Reynolds for musical
direction. The musical accompaniment is recorded.
Running about two and a half hours with one
intermission, “Mamma Mia!” will continue at Hillbarn Theater, 1285 E. Hillsdale
Blvd., Foster City, through May 26.
Photos by Mark and Tracy Photography
