Mamma Mia! opens this week at Theatre Albany
Special Photo: Kelly Rowe
By Carlton Fletcher
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ALBANY — Diane Giddens points to the set pieces on the Theatre Albany stage as she talks about the Sept. 17 opening of “Mamma Mia!,” the musical based on the songs of ’70s-’80s-era pop band ABBA.
“We were preparing to do ‘Mamma Mia!’ when COVID hit,” Giddens said. “This set has been literally sitting where it is right now since March of 2020.”
And so it was that fate, a worldwide pandemic and the desire to make sure safety concerns were met conspired to put the production on hold for a year and a half. Now, though, with everyone looking to “get out of the house and do something,” Theatre Albany is ready to present the popular musical that also was turned into a hit movie, before COVID changed the world.
“These are the kinds of plays the people in Albany want; they want to see something they know,” Giddens, a former Deerfield-Windsor School teacher who is directing her third production for Theatre Albany, said. “Everybody knows the songs of ABBA, and it’s just a fun musical.”
Kelly Mullins has been tabbed to take on the lead role of Donna. And while Mullins admits that the musical is not exactly one of her favorites, being involved in the production has grown on her.
“The thing about this play is how much fun it is,” Mullins, a veteran of some “25 to 30” community theater productions, said before a recent rehearsal. “Doing a musical is a little tougher because there’s so much going on at one time: you’re moving to the right spots, emoting, trying to stay balanced, trying to breathe, trying to dance.
“But I’ve always enjoyed being involved in theater. It’s mostly about the people doing the show, the relationships formed. It’s also about being on the stage, even the pressure that you’re under. I just enjoy the process.”
Giddens said she has no doubt that the cast is ready for opening night.
“If they had to do it tomorrow, they could walk onstage and do it tomorrow,” the director said at a Wednesday rehearsal, only nine days from opening night.
Joining Mullins in the “Mamma Mia!” cast are Karen Spicer (who plays Tonya), Lindsey Stewart (Rose), Briana Rosenfeld (Sophie), Megan Moshell (Ali), Lorelei Abney (Lisa), David Ward (Sam), Mike Keeley (Bill), Ben Thompson (Harry), Justin Neal (Sky), Wesley Williams (Pepper), George Darrisaw (Eddie) and Erick Yesbick (Father Alexandrios).
Also part of the cast’s ensemble are Shelley Keeley, Cres Ellis, Leah Anglin, Jennifer Knighton, Zoey Clack, Ellie Spangenberg, Amelia Evans and Jaea Knight.
“Mamma Mia!” was delayed for 18 months by COVID-19, and that lingering virus continues to impact the play.
“We’ve had some people who had to quarantine, and some of the actors are wearing masks,” Giddens said. “And for each performance, we’re going to ask the audience to wear masks. We don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable, so we decided to ask the audience to mask up.”
Theatre Albany has scheduled six performances of “Mamma Mia!” Curtains drop on Sept. 17, 18, 24 and 25 shows at 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinees Sept. 19 and 26 will start at 2 p.m. All tickets, which are being offered at a “deeply-discounted, audience-thank-you” price of $15, are available at the Theatre Albany box office from 2-5 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and on days of each show.
Giddens, who has worked with Music Director Gary Unger and Choreographer Judy Dabbs to get “Mamma Mia!” ready for southwest Georgia audiences, said directing community theater has things to offer that high school productions can’t match.
“You tell students they need to be ‘off-script’ — which means they have to know their lines — by a certain date, and it can be a challenge,” she said. “With these folks, I told them to be off-script by Sept. 1, and they were ready two weeks before.
“Also, with school plays, as director you do everything. I have a choreographer and a music director (with Theatre Albany), and that makes a big difference. Plus, these folks have put in a lot of hard work. They worked on choreography for four hours on the first day of rehearsals. We’re all ready. I think it’s going to be a fun night.”
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