(Walt Disney Theatre, Orlando FL) From January 14 - 26 2025, the Dr. Phillips Center will be serving as the home for the very fun and energetic production of the Mamma Mia! National Tour, with the show opening tonight to a fully sold-out Walt Disney Theatre.
For purposes of this write-up, let's forget about the 2008 hit movie which starred Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried. If we consider this musical just on the performance tonight alone, this show made for a really damn good time. The show was based on songs recorded by ABBA and had a run-time of just about 2.5 hours, inclusive of a 20-minute intermission. Divided into 2 Acts, the 1st part of this production was lively and upbeat, featuring some very elaborate choreography, with the 2nd Act featuring more ballads and solos which highlighted the beautiful voices of individual cast members.
From the early onset of the show, Jalynn Steele (portrayed the character of Tanya) and Carly Sakolove (portrayed the character of Rosie) established themselves as the very fun comic relief. The 2 were, thankfully, uninhibited and free on stage, which completely set the tone for the remainder of the show. They had a wonderful chemistry together. It is very easy to want to group the assessment of their performance together as they shared so much stage time; however, in the 2nd Act, they appeared onstage separate from one another and totally shined. Each brought their own respective approach to comedy, and their voices were terrific!
Jim Newman (portrayed the character of Bill Austin) was the glue to connect the 3 leading men whenever they were onstage together. Tony Clements (character: Harry Bright) showcased his very tender and sincere voice during his 'Our Last Summer' performance. Victor Wallace (character: Sam Carmichael) exhibited some exquisite harmonization in Act 2's 'SOS', but his 'Knowing Me, Knowing You' was an eye opener and featured his beautiful vocal tone and power.
Amy Weaver (portrayed the character of Sophie Sheridan) had a standout performance this night. She was cute, loveable, and wonderfully charismatic. She captivated the audience's attention whenever she was on that stage, and one could really identify with her character's yearning to figure out who her father actually was, while portraying very relatable emotional ups and downs with her mother and fiancé. Additionally, her voice was absolutely phenomenal in every way! She sang clearly and effortlessly, and was just captivating!
Christine Sherrill (portrayed the character of Donna Sheridan) took on a more serious interpretation of her character, and had a stunningly powerful voice. I greatly enjoyed her duets with the men in Act 2, and her touching duet in 'Slipping Through My Fingers'. However, her performance during 'The Winner Takes It All' was absolutely amazing, both vocally and with her acting during this solo. If one had told me that this specific song was written with her in mind to perform it, I absolutely would have been convinced that was the truth.
I've never critiqued an entire ensemble as one collective character previously, but the support that this group provided tonight was outstanding. 'Super Trouper' and 'Gimme! Gimme!' featured the female ensemble, and the performance was sexy, complex, and highly energetic. The male ensemble provided much laughter as they were all pretty silly throughout their shared stage time, yet their bodies containing zero-bodyfat drew much attention from many in the audience.
The songs and the placement of those songs were well-situated, and did a great job in furthering the storyline. The cast was silly and fun, but my goodness there was so much amazing talent on that stage tonight. This was a very well-cast production, and each actor was perfectly suited to portray their respective character.
Upon the conclusion of Act 2, you'll want to stick around after you've clapped for the cast, and be ready to dance because this group brought the disco-dancing with them and gave the audience an extra few minutes of some ABBA-love, costumes and all.
I cannot express enough how much fun this show was. For 2.5 hours, I laughed or was silently singing along and thoroughly enjoying myself. This production was really great, so hopefully you already have your tickets to attend as each night is nearly sold out.
Phenomenal evening. Very well done production!
Write-up by: Bailey Guinigundo
Photos by: Joan Marcus
For purposes of this write-up, let's forget about the 2008 hit movie which starred Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried. If we consider this musical just on the performance tonight alone, this show made for a really damn good time. The show was based on songs recorded by ABBA and had a run-time of just about 2.5 hours, inclusive of a 20-minute intermission. Divided into 2 Acts, the 1st part of this production was lively and upbeat, featuring some very elaborate choreography, with the 2nd Act featuring more ballads and solos which highlighted the beautiful voices of individual cast members.
From the early onset of the show, Jalynn Steele (portrayed the character of Tanya) and Carly Sakolove (portrayed the character of Rosie) established themselves as the very fun comic relief. The 2 were, thankfully, uninhibited and free on stage, which completely set the tone for the remainder of the show. They had a wonderful chemistry together. It is very easy to want to group the assessment of their performance together as they shared so much stage time; however, in the 2nd Act, they appeared onstage separate from one another and totally shined. Each brought their own respective approach to comedy, and their voices were terrific!
Jim Newman (portrayed the character of Bill Austin) was the glue to connect the 3 leading men whenever they were onstage together. Tony Clements (character: Harry Bright) showcased his very tender and sincere voice during his 'Our Last Summer' performance. Victor Wallace (character: Sam Carmichael) exhibited some exquisite harmonization in Act 2's 'SOS', but his 'Knowing Me, Knowing You' was an eye opener and featured his beautiful vocal tone and power.
Amy Weaver (portrayed the character of Sophie Sheridan) had a standout performance this night. She was cute, loveable, and wonderfully charismatic. She captivated the audience's attention whenever she was on that stage, and one could really identify with her character's yearning to figure out who her father actually was, while portraying very relatable emotional ups and downs with her mother and fiancé. Additionally, her voice was absolutely phenomenal in every way! She sang clearly and effortlessly, and was just captivating!
Christine Sherrill (portrayed the character of Donna Sheridan) took on a more serious interpretation of her character, and had a stunningly powerful voice. I greatly enjoyed her duets with the men in Act 2, and her touching duet in 'Slipping Through My Fingers'. However, her performance during 'The Winner Takes It All' was absolutely amazing, both vocally and with her acting during this solo. If one had told me that this specific song was written with her in mind to perform it, I absolutely would have been convinced that was the truth.
I've never critiqued an entire ensemble as one collective character previously, but the support that this group provided tonight was outstanding. 'Super Trouper' and 'Gimme! Gimme!' featured the female ensemble, and the performance was sexy, complex, and highly energetic. The male ensemble provided much laughter as they were all pretty silly throughout their shared stage time, yet their bodies containing zero-bodyfat drew much attention from many in the audience.
The songs and the placement of those songs were well-situated, and did a great job in furthering the storyline. The cast was silly and fun, but my goodness there was so much amazing talent on that stage tonight. This was a very well-cast production, and each actor was perfectly suited to portray their respective character.
Upon the conclusion of Act 2, you'll want to stick around after you've clapped for the cast, and be ready to dance because this group brought the disco-dancing with them and gave the audience an extra few minutes of some ABBA-love, costumes and all.
I cannot express enough how much fun this show was. For 2.5 hours, I laughed or was silently singing along and thoroughly enjoying myself. This production was really great, so hopefully you already have your tickets to attend as each night is nearly sold out.
Phenomenal evening. Very well done production!
Write-up by: Bailey Guinigundo
Photos by: Joan Marcus