{"id":5872,"date":"2019-08-19T13:47:27","date_gmt":"2019-08-19T17:47:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/?p=5872"},"modified":"2019-08-19T13:47:51","modified_gmt":"2019-08-19T17:47:51","slug":"alhambras-mamma-mia-an-exuberant-sing-along","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/creekline-st-johns\/alhambras-mamma-mia-an-exuberant-sing-along\/","title":{"rendered":"Alhambra\u2019s \u201cMamma Mia\u201d\u00a0an exuberant sing-along"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">By Martie Thompson<br \/>\n<\/span><a href=\"mailto:editor@floridanewsline.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">editor@floridanewsline.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you\u2019re looking for a joyous trip down pop music memory lane, Alhambra\u2019s production of \u201cMamma Mia\u201d is for you. But a friendly warning: You will find yourself singing along (with everyone else in the audience) to this clever comedy that finds a way to utilize the ABBA songbook to tell a charming story of a young girl about to be married who has never known her father.<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With music and lyrics by Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of the \u201870s Swedish pop group ABBA and book by Catherine Johnson, \u201cMamma Mia\u201d was first conceived by Judy Craymer after she considered the theatrical potential of ABBA\u2019s songs, particularly \u201cThe Winner Takes It All.\u201d Indeed, the performance of this song midway through the second act is the highlight of the stage musical.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The show opens somewhat quietly with Sophie, portrayed by Grace Gibbons, mailing invitations to her upcoming wedding to three men whose names she found in her mother\u2019s 20-year-old diary. She made it appear that the letters were from her mother, Donna, portrayed by Kelly Atkins, and so all three men were curious enough to show up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Australian adventurer Bill (portrayed by Jim Ballard) shines in a duet \u201cThe Name of the Game\u201d with Sophie, while architect Sam (portrayed by Jim Sorensen) has his best moment in a heartfelt rendition of \u201cSOS\u201d which he sings with Donna, his former love. British businessman Harry (portrayed by Billy Clark Taylor) connects with Donna in the touching song, \u201cOur Last Summer.\u201d But who is actually Sophie\u2019s father?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The entire cast handles the ABBA songs with panache and the comfortable familiarity with this music is central to the show\u2019s feel good vibe. Comedic touches are numerous, from the energetic dancing of the ensemble in snorkeling gear in \u201cLay All Your Love on Me\u201d to the flirtatious hilarity of \u201cTake a Chance on Me,\u201d performed by Donna\u2019s friend Rosie (portrayed by the tour de force that is Lisa Valdini) and Sophie\u2019s possible father Bill. Valdini never disappoints in her Alhambra appearances and she pretty much steals each scene she appears in.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Energetic choreography by Shain Stroff throughout the show, but especially on entire cast numbers like \u201cVoulez-Vous\u201d and \u201cUnder Attack,\u201d keeps everything moving along at a brisk pace. Inventive, moveable sets featuring shuttered windows and evoking a fictional Greek taverna, as well as unique lighting arrangements, are employed to great effect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chef DeJuan Roy has once again created a menu to complement the show. This time, since \u201cMamma Mia\u201d is set in Greece, Mediterranean food is featured. The best of the bunch was the traditional Greek salad to start, followed by Mediterranean cod with shrimp and mussels in garlic tomato broth with rice, artichoke, sun-dried tomatoes and an asiago crostini, with the Baklava cupcake for dessert.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cMamma Mia\u201d will <\/span><\/em><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><em>b<\/em>e performed through Sept. 15. Visit<\/span><\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.alhambrajax.com\"> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">www.alhambrajax.com<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to reserve tickets.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Photo courtesy Alhambra Dinner Theatre.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Martie Thompson editor@floridanewsline.com If you\u2019re looking for a joyous trip down pop music memory lane, Alhambra\u2019s production of \u201cMamma Mia\u201d is for you. But a friendly warning: You will find yourself singing along (with everyone else in the audience) to this clever comedy that finds a way to utilize the ABBA songbook to tell [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5873,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5,4],"tags":[21],"class_list":{"0":"post-5872","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-creekline-st-johns","8":"category-mandarin","9":"category-ponte-vedra","10":"tag-alhambra"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Alhambra\u2019s \u201cMamma Mia\u201d\u00a0an exuberant sing-along - Florida NewsLine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"CreekLine, Mandarin NewsLine, Ponte Vedra NewsLineBy Martie Thompson editor@floridanewsline.com If you\u2019re looking for a joyous trip down pop music memory lane, Alhambra\u2019s production of \u201cMamma Mia\u201d is for\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/creekline-st-johns\/alhambras-mamma-mia-an-exuberant-sing-along\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alhambra\u2019s \u201cMamma Mia\u201d\u00a0an exuberant sing-along - 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