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“Honey, Honey,” get ready to say, “Thank You for the Music,” because a show is coming up that will make you say, “I do, I do, I do” want to leave the house to see this “Super Trouper” production!
Whether you’re an ABBA fan or not (or even if you’ve never heard an ABBA song in your life), it is impossible to watch Mamma Mia! without giving in to the pure campy joy of this musical — and Feb. 26-March 21, and a special extended weekend April 1-4, this unbelievably fun smash hit is cannonballing onto the Athens Theatre stage.
Debuting on Broadway in 2001, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus’ Mamma Mia! became the ninth-longest-running show in Broadway history and has been seen by more than 65 million people (and that’s just the stage version, which doesn’t even account for anyone who has seen the 2008 film starring Meryl Streep).
Almost immediately, toes begin tapping to ABBA tunes as Sophie (played by Hannah Beatt, who is making her Athens debut) reveals to her best friends her wedding-plan-plot to figure out just which one of her mother Donna’s three former lovers is her biological father by inviting all of them to the nuptial celebration.
While Donna (played by Chelsea Conard, who last graced the Athens stage as the Baker’s wife in Into the Woods) laments the surprising arrival of her past exes (Sam, Bill and Harry), Sophie’s mission is to find out which is her father so that he can walk her down the aisle. Is it the charming and successful architect Sam (played by David Coalter, who was recently seen as Jinx in Forever Plaid)? Is it the funny, adventure-loving Bill (Gregory Williams, who has starred on stages in New York, Chicago and now Florida)? Or is it the now-conservative Englishman Harry (Jonathon Adler, who was last seen on the Athens stage as Eddie in Sister Act)?
With wedding preparations underway and old friends gathering, will love really conquer everything? Of course! And hits like “Take a Chance on Me,” “Money, Money, Money” and (naturally) “Mamma Mia” will have you wanting to become a “Dancing Queen” right along with the cast!
The historic Athens Theatre has taken extensive precautions to ensure the safety of its patrons, staff, volunteers and actors, and is at 124 N. Florida Ave. in Downtown DeLand.
Tickets cost $30 for preferred reserved seating (rows A-E, center); $25 for adults; $23 for senior citizens; $11 for students/children; and $21 per person for groups of eight or more. A $3-per-ticket processing charge will be added to each purchase.
To purchase pairs of tickets in advance or find out more specific information about dates, times, and safety precautions, visit the Athens Theatre website at www.AthensDeLand.com.
If you are looking to purchase more than two tickets, call the box office at 386-736-1500, and they will be able to find a socially distant spot where your whole family can sit together. Box-office hours are 1-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, and 1 1/2 hours before live performances.
— Alexa A. Baldwin is director of marketing and operations for the Athens Theatre.
