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Baranski Will Be a "Dancing Queen" in Mamma Mia! Film
By Andrew Gans
and John Nathan
19 Apr 2007
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Christine Baranski will co-star in the "Mamma Mia!" film
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Tony Award winner Christine Baranski, who was back on the New York stage earlier this season in Regrets Only, will join the previously announced Meryl Streep for the film version of the international hit musical Mamma Mia!
Liz Smith confirms previous reports that Baranski will be part of the movie musical. The cast, now in London to pre-record the film's soundtrack, will also feature Julie Walters, Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan.
Baranski will play the role of Tanya in the motion picture, which is being directed by Phyllida Lloyd, who will be making her feature-film debut. Lloyd helmed both the London and Broadway mountings of the long-running musical.
London's Daily Mail also recently reported that three songs from the stage show have been dropped: "Thank You For the Music," "Under Attack" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You." The movie, however, introduces another ABBA song to book and screenplay writer Catherine Johnson's storyline, "When All Is Said and Done."
Based on the back catalogue of 70s pop group ABBA, Johnson's plot tells the story of bride-to-be Sophie Sheridan, who hopes to discover her father's identity on the eve of her wedding. She brings three men from her mother Donna's past back to the Greek island they last visited 20 years previously.
The show and film features music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. Since the original London production opened in 1999, the musical has grossed over $2 billion worldwide.
Christine Baranski won Tonys for her work in Rumors and The Real Thing and has also been seen on the New York stage in Regrets Only, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Obie Award), The House of Blue Leaves and Lips Together, Teeth Apart as well as the Encores! production of Promises, Promises. Baranski has also achieved much success on TV, winning an Emmy Award for her performance as the boozy best friend on "Cybill." Her film credits include "Legal Eagles," "Addams Family Values," "Jeffrey" and "The Birdcage." Baranski was also seen in the Kennedy Center productions of Mame and Sweeney Todd.
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