New York, January 9, 2012 – Philippine-based ABS CBN lifestyle program host and entertainment reporter MJ Felipe recently flew all the way to Zurich, Switzerland to meet and conduct a behind-the-scenes tour with Mamma Mia’s international touring company’s stage manager, James Anderton and its cast. The touring production marked its 2,000th performance on the road in Zurich last November; its next stop is the Cultural Center of the Philippines, with limited engagement performances from January 24 to February 12.
On Broadway, Mamma Mia!, currently the 10th longest-running musical in Great White Way's history, which features the music and lyrics of Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus, and book by Catherine Johnson, celebrated its 10 years at the Winter Garden Theatre with a street concert party in Times Square and the Empire State Building lit up in pink, white, and blue last October. Three Filipino Broadway actors are currently playing in Mamma Mia! on Broadway: Catherine Ricafort (Ali), Albert Guerzon (Ensemble/Eddie understudy), and Gerard Salvador (Ensemble/Pepper understudy).
Mamma Mia!, which is also widely regarded as the mother ship of jukebox musicals, contains 22 of the best radio hits of ABBA, a Swedish pop music group formed by Andersson and Ulvaeus in the '70s. "Dancing Queen," "Mamma Mia," "Take A Chance On Me" and "The Winner Takes It All," are some of show-stopping musical numbers from the show.
Johnson's script, which is set on a Greek island where a wedding is about to take place, adds a dramatic structure that melds together ABBA's discography.
Included in the Manila run are actresses Sara Poyzer (Donna Sheridan, the mother of the bride), Charlotte Wakefield (Sophie Sheridan, the bride), Rosie Heath (Ali, Sophie’s bridesmaid), and Tasha Taylor Thompson (Lisa, Sophie’s bridesmaid).
Mamma Mia’s international touring company has played to theatergoers in the United Kingdom, Dubai, Germany, Sweden, Prague, New Zealand, Turkey, China, and Tapei.
For tickets to Mamma Mia! in Manila, visit BroadwayWorld Philippines show listings’ section [Click Here].
