All of Broadway is making an effort for the Twin Towers Fund and the American Red Cross. Many help by collecting for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS after the show, and all assist by giving $5 from each ticket sold to the Fund through Sept. 30. But none have gone to the international lengths of theatrical franchise, Mamma Mia!.
On Oct. 5, the new ABBA tuner will donate all of the proceeds of five international productions to the Twin Towers Fund and the American Red Cross. That includes the first performance of the Broadway company as well as the Boston, Toronto, Melbourne and London companies. The contribution comes from everyone involved including the producers, authors, theatre owners and cast members.
For tickets in New York, call Telecharge at (212) 239-6262. Mamma Mia! is on the web at http://www.mamma mia.com.
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All through the summer, bits and pieces of Mamma Mia! casting has been leaking through. First, Louise Pitre, Dora winner for the Toronto production, announced she would continue as the lead role Donna. Then Karen Mason joined as her gal pal Tonya. Two Canadians quickly followed, with Toronto replacement cast member David Keeley as Sam and her Toronto co-star and newcomer Tina Maddigan continuing to Broadway as her daughter Sophie. Finally, Ragtime's Judy Kaye slipped in as another of Donna's friends, Rosie. Now the entire cast of the production is known with mostly unknowns stepping into the remaining roles. Joe Machota, who has toured as Ren in Footloose and Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, is Sophie's fiance, Sky. Dean Nolen (Tabletop is Harry with Ken Marks (When They Speak of Rita) as Bill.
Rounding out the company are Tonya Doran (Lisa), Sara Inbar (Ali), Mark Price (Pepper), Michael B. Washington (Eddie), Meredith Akins, Stephan Alexander, Kim-e J. Balmilero, Robin Baxter, Brent Black, Tony Carlin, Bill Carmichael, Meghann Dreyfuss, Barrett Foa, Jon-Erik Goldberg, Somer Lee Graham, Hollie Howard, Kristin McDonald, Adam Monley, Jeanine Morick, Chris Prinzo, Janet Rothermel, Peter Matthew Smith, Yuka Takara, and Marsha Waterbury.
Mamma Mia! collects a couple dozen hit songs by the Swedish supergroup ABBA and shapes them around the story of a single mother and her young daughter's marriage on a Greek isle. While the daughter plans her future with the love of her life, she and her mother are haunted by three different men who may or may not be her daughter's father.
Among the songs used in Mamma Mia! are such familiar 70s staples as "Dancing Queen," "Knowing Me, Knowing You," "S.O.S.," "Take a Chance on Me" and "The Winner Takes It All."
Andersson and Ulvaeus, the songwriting half of ABBA, previously wrote the musical Chess, which enjoyed an extended run at the Prince Edward in the 1980s in a production directed by Trevor Nunn, currently artistic director of the National Theatre.
Mamma Mia! is directed by Phyllida Lloyd and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast. It is designed by Mark Thompson, with lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce and musical supervision by Martin Koch.
