Orpheus chalks up another winner with Mamma Mía

Music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus  and some songs with Stig Anderson, Book by Catherine Johnson.  Originally conceived by Judy Craymer. Orpheus Musical Theatre Society.   Directed by Shaun Toohey

Perhaps it’s the moment when Nicole Milne, spellbinding in the role of Donna, communicates the yearning poetry of The Winner Takes It All. Or maybe it’s the explosion of comedy, colour and ensemble expertise that occurs on the beach with Lay All Your Love On Me.

Again, perhaps the most memorable moments come with the emotional impact of soon-to-be married Sophie’s I Have A Dream when Meaghan Chapin wistfully sings it at the very beginning and then invests the material with a different texture at the very end.

Orpheus Musical Theatre Company’s spirited production of Mamma Mia is so entertaining, so brimming with professional confidence, so overwhelming in high points, that it’s not that easy to single out individual scenes for special praise. But what is evident is its sustained joie de vivre.

Director Shaun Toohey shows imagination and wit in his fluid staging, assisted immeasurably here by the simple but functional sets of Jenn Donnelly and Tony Walker, and garnishes the whole thing with mischievous bits of business.

Musical director Chris Santillan, working with a robust ensemble of musicians and a superlative cast, ensures that those familiar Abba songs emerge as freshly polished gems. There’s a touch of the delirious in Susie Bregg-Krzyzanowksi’s clever choreography — and that’s all to the good, given the fantasyland quality permeating the idyllic Greek island where Donna operates her small hotel-tavern.. And costume designers Susan Cole and Linda Sabourin are in the groove as well, understanding that some of the music numbers demand an outrageous wardrobe.

Many jukebox musicals are pretty insipid, but Mamma Mia towers above the crowd because of a book by Catherine Johnson that provides a viable dramatic anchor for the songs of Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson. To be sure the story is cotton candy. Donna’s daughter Sophie is about to be married and wants her real father to walk her down the aisle. But when it comes to the identity of her father — well, let’s just say that Donna’s younger life experiences have left some uncertainty when it comes to answering that question. So Sophie attempts to solve it by invited a trio of likely candidates — Sam, Bill and Harry — to the wedding.

All this leads to the inevitable complications and misunderstandings. A book less witty and discerning might render the whole affair pretty underwhelming. But not here. As a showcase for the Abba songbook, it works.

In directing it, Shaun Toohey draws out the material’s good-hearted humour. But he’s  also working with a cast that responds to the show’s emotional needs. So Meaghan Chapin is both touching and funny as daughter Sophie — as adept with communicating longing in I Have A Dream as she is with the more boisterous demands of Gimme, Gimme, Gimme. Derek Eyamie takes the somewhat thankless role of Sophie’s fiancé and gives it personality and substance.

Meanwhile Nicole Milne, a dynamite singer, has to navigate Donna through several variations. When she and her longtime girlfriends (played by Christine Moran and and Stefania Wheelhouse) romp through Dancing Queen, it’s sheer delight. But a series of different dynamics is at work when she has to deal with three old boyfriends — Bill (Michael Schilder), Harry (Rejean Dinelle-Mayer) and Sam (Jeff Beck) and it takes Milne through a gamut of shifting moods.

Dinelle-Mayer’s flamboyant Harry has some of the funniest lines, which he executes beautifully, but the performance leaves no doubt that this is someone who cares about relationships. As Bill, Michael Schilder comes into his own when Take A Chance On Me becomes the springboard for an amusing courtship number that leaves the altar looming for himself and Christine Moran’s Rosie. The character of Sam seems somewhat underwritten earlier in the show, but Geoff Beck gets his opportunity to make his impact at the end — and he does so admirably.

In brief, a solid and entertaining take on a show that is more of a challenge than it may seem — and another triumph for Orpheus.

Mama Mia continues at Centrepointe Theatre to June 10

Director: Shaun Toohey

Musical director: Chris Santillan

Choreographer: Susie Bregg-Krzyzanowski

Set: Jenn Donnelly and Tony Walker

Lighting: David Magladry

Sound: John Cybanski

Costumes: Susan Cole and Linda Sabourin

 

Cast::

Donna…………………………………………………………….Nicole Milne

Sophie…………………………………………………………….Meaghan Chapin

Rosie……………………………………………………………..Christine Moran

Tanya……………………………………………………………..Stefania Wheelhouse

Sam……………………………………………………………….Geoff Beck

Bill………………………………………………………………..Michael Schilder

Harry………………………………………………………………Réjean Dinelle-Mayer

Sky…………………………………………………………………Derek Eyamie

Pepper ……………………………………………………………..Pierre Sirois

Eddie……………………………………………………………….Damien Broomes

Lisa……………………………………………………………….. Caroline Baldwin

Ali………………………………………………………………… Sarah Cousineau

 

Ensemble:

Andréa Black, Johanne Boisvenu-Henry, Vivian Burns, Michelle Chapin, Morgan Coughlan, Christa Cullain, Jamie Hegland, Sarah Jones, Gianpaolo Lattanzio, John Leclaire, Ryan Lutton, Greg Palmer

Vocal ensemble: 

Antonio Dirienzo, John Litster, Michelle Pare, Beverley Soifer

 

Orchestra

Conductor/keyboard………………………..Chris Santillan

Keyboard……………………………………Mark Allen, John McGovern, Cynthia Tauro

Guitar……………………………………….John Corkett, Corey Thomas

Bass…………………………………………Chris Lucas

Drums……………………………………….Pierre Huneault

Percussion……………………………….….Scott Latham