Mamma Mia! Have the Time of Your Life
(From Left) Vicki Van Tassel, Carol Linnea Johnson and Robin Baxter
Photographed by Joan Marcus
If there is one show in Las Vegas that leaves one to feel vibrant and good all over, it’s Mamma Mia! Performed in a magnificent theatre inside the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino, Mamma Mia! is THE show to see if you’re looking for big production, catchy music, creative dance routines, and the kind of fun and excitement you may not have experienced since your first concert.
Mamma Mia! is a party! Based on the music of Swedish supergroup ABBA, the story is set on a Greek isle where Donna Sheridan (marvelously played by Carol Linnea Johnson) lives with her daughter Sophie who is to be married the following day. Libby Winters plays Sophie who, since she is unsure whom her father is, invites the three leading candidates to her wedding hoping to discover the truth. Of course, her mother Donna doesn’t know anything about Sophie’s plan and thinks their arrival as a suspicious coincidence. Vicki Van Tassel plays Tanya and Robin Baxter takes the role of Rosie, Donna’s two best friends and former back up band who reunite on the island for Sophie’s wedding.
So what does that give you?
Three confused men, all of which believe they might be Sophie’s father, three middle-aged women who try to relive their glory days, a confused bride to be, and an even more confused fiancé, Sky, played by Patrick Sarb.
Brilliantly woven together by such classics as “Dancing Queen”, “S.O.S”, and “Take a Chance on Me”, Mamma Mia! provides a storyline filled with humor and campiness, but also offers touching moments of friendship and family bond.
Donna, Tanya and Rosie could not have been better cast. Each sang beautifully while keeping in touch with their characters, but it was the chemistry of the three together that really made this production shine. Vicki Van Tassel’s well-timed physical comedy as the jet-setting, multi-divorcee Tanya combined with Robin Baxter’s precise delivery of one-liner humor perfectly complimented Carol Linnea Johnson, making the three adorable and fun to watch from beginning to end.
Donna’s three ex-lovers were unique and entertaining in their own right, delivering laughs and crowd-pleasing performances as each, at different times, admitted to being Sophie’s long, lost father.
With a cast of 30 dancing and vocal performers, Mamma Mia! is a full out, Las Vegas production that will leave you laughing, clapping and dancing in the aisles. Its rendition of ABBA hits, coupled with well-designed choreography and Las Vegas type production, make Mamma Mia! the most appetizing show on The Strip.
Many of the Mamma Mia! cast have come directly from the Broadway production, including Patrick Sarb (Sky) who graduated from Northwestern University, giving the show top-caliber performances as one would hope to see in a major Las Vegas Production.
If vacationing in Vegas with only the budget or time for one show – that show MUST be Mamma Mia! And for those who have already seen Mamma Mia! at Mandalay Bay, it’s even better the second time around. Mamma Mia! can be enjoyed by persons of all ages from all walks of life. Although, as warned at the beginning of the show – those with heart conditions, to which spandex and high boots adversely affect, should take caution.
For more information or to purchase tickets go to www.mandalaybay.com or www.mamma-mia.com. Decca Broadway also offers the original cast recording of Mamma Mia! for those inspired to bring the music home with them, which will most certainly happen.