Mamma Mia! Brings Feel-Good Fun to Providence Performing Arts Center

Jalynn Steele as Tanya, Christine Sherrill as Donna Sheridan and Carly Sakolove as Rosie in Mamma Mia! (Photo by Joan Marcus)

If you grew up on the music of ABBA, it doesn’t take much to get you up and dancing as soon as you hear those opening synth chords of “Dancing Queen.”

That’s the kind of energy you’ll want to bring to Mamma Mia!, now playing at the Providence Performing Arts Center through Sunday, Nov. 17. The high-energy show delivers all the favorites — including “Mamma Mia,” “Super Trouper” and “Take a Chance on Me” — complete with a curtain call that feels more like a rock concert than a Broadway play.

In the case of this writer, though I missed the release of the namesake hit by about twenty years, the ABBA frenzy was still going strong during my childhood in the ’90s thanks to the musical’s 1999 debut, not to mention the popularity of cover band A-Teens. (I apologize to all the family forced to listen as I belted along with “Dancing Queen” on cassette.) So I was thrilled to learn the musical would be making its way to PPAC as part of its twenty-fifth anniversary tour.

As it turns out, I wasn’t the only one excited to relive a childhood fantasy. Amy Weaver, who plays bride-to-be Sophie Sheridan, and Grant Reynolds, who portrays her dreamy fiance Sky, both grew up on the hit show’s music.

“My favorite one to perform is “Thank You for the Music,” Weaver says. “My mom taught that song to me when I was really young, so I’ve been singing it my whole life. It’s really, really fun to sing it in this new capacity.”

Weaver and Reynolds spoke with Rhode Island Monthly during a Wednesday morning press event at PPAC after Tuesday’s opening night. Though both have visited the city previously — Weaver during the national tour of Jersey Boys — they look forward to enjoying the foliage and grabbing fresh seafood during their time in the Creative Capital.

“This city is perfect for getting lost in. I love all the coffee shops and local businesses,” Weaver says.

The two first met during auditions, when they tried out for their respective roles together. Though Weaver was originally cast as Sophie’s understudy and a member of the ensemble, she later had the chance to move up to the starring role. She says bonding with “Team Sophie” — the ensemble members who play her friends and bridesmaids in the show — was an important part of preparing for the role.

Surprisingly, neither Weaver nor Reynolds had seen the stage production prior to auditioning, though both say they’re well-versed on the 2008 movie starring Meryl Streep. For Reynolds, securing a major role in his first touring production is “a dream come true.”

Grant Reynolds as Sky with Alisa Melendez  as Sophie Sheridan. (Sophie is portrayed by Amy Weaver during the PPAC run.) (Photo by Joan Marcus)

“This is all I ever wanted since I was a kid, so it’s crazy to be doing it,” he says.

“I feel like our show is a good hybrid [of the film and original stage production] because it’s bringing the iconic tone that people recognize from the movie, the one liners and the comedic moments, but also the authenticity,” he adds.

For the Mamma Mia! newbies, the show revolves around Sophie, who’s determined to have her dad walk her down the aisle at her wedding, if she can only figure out who he is. Meanwhile, her mother, Donna, a disco-star-turned-hotelier, has no interest in discussing her former flames, let alone hosting them on a Greek island for her daughter’s wedding.

While there are sweet moments between Sophie and Sky, the show focuses on the relationship between mother and daughter, and women of all ages will find it a delightfully fun production whose sequined costumes add flare to an empowering message. Weaver says her onstage relationship with actress Christine Sherrill, who portrays Donna, is inspired partly by her relationship with her own mother. (Understudy Stephanie Genito portrayed Donna on Tuesday evening, giving a powerful performance that ensures guests are in for a treat regardless of casting.)

“My mom is my best friend, so it is really special to be playing this relationship,” Weaver says. “Christine Sherrill and our Donna understudies are all incredible women that I am so lucky to share the stage with.”

Even for male friends attending the show, Reynolds says, the ’70s-era soundtrack and flashy costumes make for a feel-good show regardless of age.

“Everybody relates to it in some way, which is the best part of it. I love seeing the little girls at the stage door, the little kids, the little boys dressed up,” he says. “It’s so cute, the Dynamos costumes.”

Mamma Mia! plays daily at PPAC through Sunday, Nov. 17, with two performances on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are available at ppacri.org or by calling the box office at 421-2787.

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