Mamma Mia! (promoted as Benny Andersson and
Bjorn Ulvaeus' Mamma Mia!) is a jukebox musical based on the songs of
ABBA, a Swedish pop/dance group active from 1972 to 1982 and one of the most
popular international pop groups of all time, topping the charts again and
again in Europe, North and South America and Australia ABBA Group members Benny
Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus wrote and sang the group’s songs, with additional
vocals sung by their wives, Agnetha Fältskog and
Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group’s name ABBA derives from the first letter in
each of their names. The title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975
chart-topper "Mamma Mia". The Broadway show closed in September 2015
after a 14-year run, making it the ninth longest-running show in Broadway
history.
The musical includes such hits as "Super Trouper", "Lay All
Your Love on Me", "Dancing Queen", "Knowing Me, Knowing
You", "Take a Chance on Me", "Thank You for the
Music", "Money, Money, Money", "The Winner Takes It
All", "Voulez-Vous", "SOS" and the title track. Over
60 million people have seen the show, which has grossed $2 billion worldwide
since its 1999 debut. A film adaptation starring Meryl Streep, Colin Firth,
Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, and Christine Baranski was released in July
2008, with a sequel/prequel to followin in summer 2018.
Act I
Before the curtain rises, the orchestra starts playing the overture,
which is a montage of instrumental versions of some of ABBA's hit songs.
On the Greek island of Kalokairi, 20-year-old Sophie is preparing to marry
her fiancé, Sky. She wants her father to walk her down the aisle ("Prologue")
but does not know who he is. Sophie discovers her mother's old diary and finds
entries which describe intimate dates with three men (Sam Carmichael, Bill
Austin [Anderson in the film version], and Harry Bright) ("Honey,
Honey"). Sophie believes one of these men is her father and, three
months before her nuptials, sends each an invitation to her wedding, writing in
her mother's name, Donna, without letting her unsuspecting mother know
The day before the wedding, Donna begins receiving guests at her taverna.
The first to arrive are her long-term best friends, Tanya, a rich woman who has
been married and divorced three times, and Rosie, an unmarried, carefree woman.
The trio used to comprise a girl group called "Donna and the Dynamos". The three
women catch up and talk about their lives ("Money, Money, Money").
Later that day, Sophie's three possible fathers arrive: Sam (an American
architect), Harry (a British banker), and Bill (originally an Australian writer
and adventurer, Swedish in the film, and currently American in New York and on
tour). Sophie convinces them not to tell Donna that she invited them ("Thank You for the Music"). Donna is
surprised to see her ex-lovers ("Mamma Mia")
and leaves in tears. Donna, crying, explains to Tanya and Rosie the situation,
and they cheer her up ("Chiquitita"). Tanya and Rosie try to convince Donna that
she can still be the girl she once was ("Dancing Queen").
Sophie had hoped she would know her father the moment she saw him but is
now only confused. She tries to tell her fiancé, Sky, how she feels without
confessing what she has done. Sky tells her he will be the only man she ever
needs ("Lay All Your Love on Me").
At Sophie's hen party, Donna and the Dynamos don their old
costumes and perform a song, "(Super Trouper)". Sam, Bill, and Harry accidentally
walk in on the party, and the guests persuade them to stay ("Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!").
Sophie first pulls Sam out of the room to talk to him. After he asks why he
is there, she is overcome with guilt and goes to talk to Harry, instead. But
Harry asks if Sophie's father is at the party, and she tells him the whole
truth.
Lastly, she draws Bill aside to talk with him. She learns that Bill has an
aunt Sophia who left all her money to Donna's family. Bill learns that
Donna built the taverna with money she inherited from a friend she lived with
when Sophie was a baby; that friend was Bill's aunt. They both think this means
he is her father.
Sophie asks Bill to walk her down the aisle, but Bill wants to discuss it
first with Donna. This has been her secret, after all. But no one knows yet
that even Donna does not know who the father is, because she slept with the
three men in such swift succession. Sophie insists they must not tell Donna
anything ("The Name of the Game") and finally,
Bill agrees.
Afterward, everybody crashes the hen party (including the guys from the stag party).
Eddie, a stripper,
has an erotic yet tasteful nude
scene. During the striptease, Sam pulls Sophie aside and tells her
he has figured out why she invited him. He knows he is her father and promises
to walk her down the aisle the next day. Then, Harry approaches Sophie,
apologizing for being so slow on the uptake; he is also convinced that she is
his daughter and promises to walk her down the aisle. Sophie leaves the party,
hopelessly confused; she does not want to turn any of them down ("Voulez-Vous").
Act II
(Entr'acte) Sophie's having a nightmare, involving her three
possible fathers all fighting for the right to walk her down the aisle and
wakes up despairing ("Under Attack").
Sophie's upset, and Donna assumes that Sophie wants to cancel the wedding
and offers to handle all the details. Sophie is offended and vows that her
children will not grow up not knowing who their father is. As Sophie storms out
of the room, Sam enters and tries to tell Donna that Sophie may not be all she
seems, but Donna will not listen ("One of Us"). She hates Sam; at the end of
their affair, she said she never wanted to see him again. But it seems that Sam
was the man Donna cared about the most, and both of them wish they could go
back to the start ("SOS"').
At the beach, Harry asks Tanya what the father of the bride ought to be
doing for Sophie's wedding. Tanya explains that for her part, her father gave
her his advice and then paid. Pepper, one of the guys who works at Donna's
taverna, makes advances to Tanya, but she rebuffs him ("Does Your Mother Know").
Sky finds out what Sophie has done in inviting Sam, Harry and Bill to the
wedding. He accuses her of wanting a big white wedding only so that she can
find out who her father is. He's very hurt that she kept this plan a secret
from him. He storms off just as Sam walks in. Sam tries to give Sophie some fatherly
advice by describing his failed marriage ("Knowing Me, Knowing You"), but Sophie
is not consoled.
Harry offers to Donna to pay for the wedding, and they reminisce about
their fling ("Our Last Summer"). Sophie arrives and Donna
helps her get dressed. She cannot believe her daughter is going to be a bride
("Slipping Through My Fingers").
Donna admits that her own mother disowned her when she learned that she was
pregnant. They reconcile and Sophie asks her mother if she will walk her down
the aisle. Sam arrives and tries to speak to Donna again, but she does not want
to see him, and asks him to leave. He refuses, and a bitter confrontation
ensues. Donna tells Sam that he broke her heart, presumably when she found out
he was engaged ("The Winner Takes It All"). It emerges
that the two still love each other dearly, albeit against Donna's better
judgment.
Rosie is making final preparations in the taverna when Bill arrives. He's
upset because he has received a note that Donna will be walking Sophie down the
aisle. Bill reaffirms his commitment to the single life, but Rosie has become
attracted to him, and urges him to reconsider ("Take a Chance on Me"). They are about to
have sex in the taverna, but the guests arrive, leaving Rosie quite stunned.
The wedding begins, with Donna walking Sophie down the aisle. Before the
priest has a chance to begin the ceremonies, Donna acknowledges to everyone
that Sophie's father is present. Sophie tells her mother that she knows about
her father. Donna realizes that Sophie invited them to the wedding for that
very reason. The issue of Sophie's parentage is left unsettled, as none of them
have any idea whether they are actually her father. Everyone involved agrees
that it does not matter which one of them her biological parent is, as Sophie
loves all three and they are all happy to be "one-third of a father"
and a part of her life at last. Finally, Harry, who has made frequent
references to his "other half" throughout the show, is revealed to be
in a committed gay relationship.
Suddenly, Sophie calls a halt to the proceedings. She is not ready to get
married and Sky agrees with Sophie about not getting married. Sam seizes his
chance and proposes to Donna in order to prevent the wedding preparations from
going to waste. He explains that he loved her, even when he left to get
married. It is revealed that he called off the wedding with his fiancée and
came back to the island, only to be told that Donna was going out with another
man (Bill). He went back, married his fiancée and had children but he got
divorced. Surprisingly, Donna accepts ("I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do").
In the end, Sam and Donna are married, and at the end of the night, Sophie and
Sky depart on a round-the-world tour ("I Have a Dream").
Finale and Encore
After their final bows to the audience, the ensemble performs a
reprise of "Mamma Mia". A reprise of "Dancing
Queen" follows, during which Donna, Tanya, Rosie are revealed wearing
brightly colored ABBA inspired costumes. The cast ends the finale with "Waterloo", during which Sam, Bill, and
Harry join the rest of the cast onstage in brightly colored costumes that match
the leading ladies. The Dynamos and the Dads often invite the audience to clap,
dance, and sing along during the finale.
