The global musical phenomenon, ‘Mamma Mia! The Musical’ will be dancing its way into Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne during 2023.
Featuring 22 of ABBA’s greatest hits, including ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Voulez Vous’, ‘S.O.S’ and ‘Take a Chance On Me’, the iconic songs you know and love are guaranteed to have audiences dancing in the aisles. The tour kickstarts at Sydney Lyric on May 24, then onto QPAC’s Lyric Theatre in Brisbane from August 6 and Melbourne’s Princess Theatre from October 4.
Starring in this exciting new Australian production as mother-of-the-bride Donna Sheridan is Elise McCann. Elise has a well-established theatre career best known for her role as Miss Honey in the Australian production of ‘Matilda The Musical’ earning her a Helpmann Award for the role. Most recently she starred in the acclaimed concert series ‘To Barbra, With Love.’ Elise played Ali in the 10th Anniversary production of ‘Mamma Mia! The Musical’ in 2009 and will now don the platforms as the Dynamos lead singer.
In the role of Donna’s daughter and bride-to-be, Sophie, is emerging young Australian actor Sarah Krndija. The VCA graduate has recently been seen in ‘9 to 5 The Musical’, ‘Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical’ and ‘Friends! The Musical Parody’. She is also about to be seen in the highly anticipated Amazon/Matchbox series ‘Class Of ’07’, releasing worldwide in March on Prime Video.
Starring as Donna’s vivacious and loyal friend Rosie is Bianca Bruce, most recently seen in Rogers and Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella’, as well as appearing as a featured artist in Boublil and Schönberg’s ‘Do You Hear The People Sing?’. Deone Zanotto rounds out the Dynamo trio in the role of spirited friend Tanya. The seasoned musical theatre performer has starred on stages in the West End and on Broadway in shows including ‘A Chorus Line’, ‘Chicago’ and ‘West Side Story’.
Stage and screen award-winning actor Martin Crewes stars as Sam Carmichael, one of Sophie’s unsuspecting fathers. Crewes’ stage and screen career has taken him around the world in productions including ‘Les Misérables’, ‘South Pacific’, ‘Guys and Dolls’ and most recently in Handa’s ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ on Sydney Harbour.
Acclaimed theatre actor Drew Livingston plays Harry Bright, another man from Donna’s past who could be Sophie’s father. Livingston’s production credits include ‘Once’, ‘Billy Elliot the Musical’ and ‘War Horse’. Theatre and screen actor Tim Wright plays Bill Austin, the third potential father in this light-hearted story. Wright’s career led him to multiple productions on Broadway including ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ and ‘Take Me Out’, along with roles in US television shows including ‘SMASH’, ‘Blue Bloods’ and ‘New Amsterdam’.
Sophie’s adoring fiancé Sky is played by Lewis Francis, having just completed the recent Australian tour of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ and previous roles in ‘The Book of Mormon’ and ‘Jersey Boys’.
Newcomers Nina Carmen and Kadesa Honeyhill play the role of Sophie’s friends Ali and Lisa respectively. Sky’s energetic mates are played by Jordan Tomljenovic as Pepper and Etuate Lutui as Eddie.
The incredible supporting cast includes (in alphabetical order) Chiara Assetta, Lily Baulderstone, Carlo Boumouglbay, Campbell Braithwaite, Emily Cascarino, Chelsea Dawson, Denise Devlin, Lauren Goetz, Matt Hamilton, Crystal Hegedis, Marie Ikonomou, Josh Mulheran, Bronson Pfeiler, Lewis Shilvock, Tom Struik, Riley Sutton, Carla Venezia and Geoffrey Winter.
This exciting new production of ‘Mamma Mia! The Musical’ is produced in Australia by Michael Coppel, Louise Withers & Linda Bewick. Withers spoke about the new cast who will deliver this timeless musical to audiences across Australia.
“’Mamma Mia! is the perfect medicine for our times! The musical is a proven hit and an uplifting, fun-filled, heartfelt night at the theatre where audiences are transported to another time and place,” said Withers.
“We are thrilled with this incredibly talented cast and know they will bring the story and joy to life on stage in the most amazing way. The timeless music of ABBA never fails to bring joy to audiences across the world, so we are excited to be bringing the fun of ‘Mamma Mia!’ back to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne this year.”
This 2023 production is a re-staging of the highly successful and critically acclaimed 2017 production which featured the original work of a completely Australian creative team led by Helpmann Award-winning Director Gary Young, Choreographer Tom Hodgson, Musical Supervisor Stephen Amos, Set Designer Linda Bewick, Costume Designer Suzy Strout, Lighting Designer Gavan Swift and Sound Design by Michael Waters.
Set on a Greek island paradise and inspired by the story-telling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs, writer Catherine Johnson’s heart-warming tale centres around a young bride-to-be. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago.
Seen and loved by over 65 million people around the world, this smash-hit phenomenon is a joyous celebration of love, laughter and friendship, ‘Mamma Mia! The Musical’ is a fabulous night out for all ages!
For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit the official ‘Mamma Mia! The Musical’ website.
Photography by Sam Bisso
