‘Mamma Mia!’ delivers despite weather

The snow didn’t stop Rhonda and Scott Smith from driving to Bloomington from Greenwood, Ind., on Friday night.

Despite the weather, the couple made the trip to the IU Auditorium to see the first of two performances of “Mamma Mia!” 

Rhonda said she and Scott came to visit her children, who attend IU, and to see a show she had wanted to see for a while.

“It was amazing, one of the best I’ve seen,” she said. “We were going to come one way or the other.”

Freshman Lillian Anderson said although she saw the 2008 film, she had never seen “Mamma Mia!” live.

“I really like it,” she said. “I especially like the big group dances. I’m more impressed with the singing when it was live than it was in the movie.”

The musical, based on the hit songs of ABBA, included tunes like “S.O.S.,” “Voulez-Vous” and “Lay All Your Love on Me.”

The show ran at the IU Auditorium at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights.

The story begins as Sophie, played by Chelsea Williams, reads her mother Donna’s diary and discovers she may have three possible fathers.

Sophie, who is about to be married, wants her father to walk her down the aisle and invites the three men — Bill, Harry and Sam — without telling Donna.

On the night before the wedding, each of the men realizes why Sophie invited him and asks to walk her down the aisle.

Meanwhile, Donna’s best friends and former group mates, Rosie and Tanya, join her for the occasion.

The show has been performed for over 50 million people in the world and is currently in its 10th year on Broadway and its 13th year in London’s West End Theater.

The show has traveled internationally, playing in more than 50 cities around the world.

Wearing bright 1970s-style jumpsuits and platform shoes, they perform one more time as “Donna and the Dynamos” for Sophie and her friends.

The three women brought out the jumpsuits again during the show’s encore.

The cast performed “Mamma Mia” and “Dancing Queen,” this time in more of a concert style.

During the encore, members of the audience were on their feet.

They clapped, danced and waved their arms to the music, and some even sang along.
 
Georgia Kate Haege, who played Donna, kept the encore going with a full cast performance of “Waterloo.”

“OK, Bloomington, do you want one more?” she said.

The audience cheered during “Waterloo” as the three men joined the women in wearing colorful jumpsuits.

Smith said she was impressed with Haege’s performance and the cast’s vocals.

“It makes you want to get up and dance with them,” she said. “It’s one of those feel-good musicals.”

Bloomington resident Florence Shelton said she enjoyed the show and the music.

“Those people have such energy,” she said of the cast. “I don’t know how they do it night after night.”

Follow reporter Alyssa Schor on Twitter @SchorAlyssa.