By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
When a bride-to-be invites three of her mother’s ex-lovers as surprise wedding guests, the ensuing comedic escapades explore the complexities of a mother-daughter relationship in the Sitka Fine Arts Camp stage production of the classic ’90s rom-com “Mamma Mia.”
There will be three performances at the Performing Arts Center, 7 p.m. Friday and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday.
Cast members rehearse with a pit orchestra for the upcoming production of “Mama Mia” Wednesday at the Performing Arts Center. The Sitka Fine Arts Camp’s Musical Theater Camp will open the musical Friday night at 7 p.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
The musical centers on the dynamic between Sophie Sheridan and her mother, Donna, in the leadup to the former’s wedding. Through some family espionage, Sophie has found that three men who slept with her mother might be her father, and she has invited them to her wedding at a hotel her mother operates on an Aegean island.
It’s been 22 years since “Mama Mia,” weaving the ABBA songbook into a romantic comedy plot, opened for a 14-year run on Broadway, later becoming a hit movie. It remains an audience favorite around the world.
Zia Allen has almost a decade of theater experience in Sitka and says she’s eager to portray Sophie. She describes the dynamic between Sophie, Donna and Donna’s trio of ex-lovers as chaotic.
“She doesn’t know who her father is and she finds her mother’s diary, finds out she has three possible dads,” Allen told the Sentinel. “So she invites them all to her wedding without telling anybody. Her story kind of starts off when all the three dads come and chaos ensues.”
“I am so excited for all the dancing,” Allen said. “Especially, we have this one number called ‘Under Attack’ and it’s the opening of the second act and it’s this nightmare sequence where everything’s kind of going wrong for Sophie and all her fears are just consuming her in a nightmare. And it’s a really cool part of the show.”
While the beginning of the play centers on Sophie, Act Two shifts to her mother, portrayed by Bronwyn Aurora. Like Allen, Aurora was excited not only for her character but also for the song and dance routines.
“Act One is Sophie’s journey and Act Two is a lot of Donna’s experiences as a mom dealing with the treacherous path of letting go of someone that you really love,” Aurora said. “And there’s some music that I get to sing in Act Two that I’m extraordinarily excited about.”
After a number of twists, Donna weds one of her exes during her daughter’s wedding.
“You expect it to be a cute wedding with Sky and Sophie and then basically everything goes crazy. And Donna ends up marrying one of the three men that come to the island who are Sophie’s questionable dads,” Aurora said.
Sophie’s fiance, Sky Rymand, is played by Chase Randall.
“It’s kind of funny to have so much drama in the show. And you think that you’re going to have a story about drama between Sophie and Sky, but that is almost the least of the concerns when it comes to the actual plot of the show,” Randall said. “And so it just comes right out of the bat with things that are happening. Everything could go really well, but nothing plays out the way it should in Sophie’s head from the starting action.”
Though the play is set in the 1990s, much of the aesthetic borrows from the 1970s – especially from the Swedish band ABBA.
“One of the things that as an actor I’m most excited for is I love our dress rehearsal... we get to see everybody come alive with our costumes. And with all of our music,” Randall said.
Songs in “Mamma Mia!” include the ABBA classics “Dancing Queen,” “SOS,” “Our Last Summer” and the aptly-titled “Does Your Mother Know?”
Aurora summed it up.
“It’s basically just an ABBA cover band and we basically just get to have a blast and sing ABBA,” she said.
The intense pop soundtrack and linked dance routines are a key part of the show, director Zeke Blackwell said.
“The first thing that you think of when you think of ‘Mamma Mia’ is the amazing soundtrack. And so we sat in this specific production, we really, really focused on making the dance match the high energy of the music, and I think that the dancing is at a really high level in this show,” he said.
Music in the play will be performed live from the pit by musicians from around the state.
In the play, Donna was a band singer in the 1970s, which adds complexity to the character and allows for dramatic costume design.
“Donna Sheridan used to be in a girl group, a girl band called ‘Donna and the Dynamos’ in the ’70s. So there’s a lot of secondary choreography and the Dynamos get these super cool, crazy costumes which I’m very, very excited for… I mean big platform boots. It’s super duper fun, but most of the show we’re all in casual summer wear,” Aurora said.
While the play often leans into its comedic side, beneath the lighthearted song and dance is a story of family dynamics. The complexity of the relationship between Sophie and Donna is crucial, Aurora added.
“It’s really hard to talk about mother and daughter relationships from the perspective of a mom because it’s so complex,” Aurora said. “And I’m very, very grateful that I get to be Sophie’s – ala Zia’s – mom in this show and just look into the journey of what it is like to be a single mom in the ’70s who had to grow up very quickly when she got pregnant and didn’t have someone else to look after her. There’s a lot of strength in Donna and I really liked being able to show that.”
The pivotal narrative importance of the mother-daughter relationship stood out for Blackwell, too.
“Part of what I love about ‘Mamma Mia’ is that it’s a rom-com but it’s not a love story about a woman and a man or a traditional love triangle,” Blackwell said. “Really, the love story is about the mother and the daughter, about Sophie and Donna, who are keeping secrets from each other and going behind each other’s backs. And in the end, the reconciliation is between the two of them.”
For Allen, one aspect of the play mirrors her real life. On stage, Sophie and Donna share a moment in which they realize the necessity of moving on, whereas in real life ‘Mamma Mia’ marks the end of Allen’s acting career under Blackwell.
“It’s a weird feeling because I’ve learned so much and at one point, there’s literally a song in the show that describes it perfectly. ‘Slipping Through my Fingers,’ where Donna is helping Sophie get ready for this wedding,” Allen said. “And she’s talking about the good times that she’s had with Sophie, but she has to let her go. And that’s exactly how I’m feeling. I’ve worked with Zeke for eight years and I’ve learned so much and now it’s time to move on. But I couldn’t be more happy that I got a chance to work with him.”
After almost a decade in Sitka theater productions, she’s glad for the friends she’s made.
“I’ve been doing this for five years and I’ve met so many incredible people. And I know that long lasting friendships and connections that I’ll have forever in this theater community that we have,” Allen said.
Randall seconded this.
“Even when there’s new faces brought in every summer – which there always are – you always leave this camp knowing that you’re friends with basically every single person we meet,” he said. “And I know that personally Zia and Bronwyn are two of my best friends and that came from this camp.”
Tickets are for sale for $20 at fineartscamp.org and at the door.
Allen hopes audience members will engage with the story and possibly break into dance.
“If you’re in the audience, please dance with us at the end. We want you to.”
