ABBA's hits tell the hilarious story of a young woman's search for her birth father. This sunny and funny tale unfolds on a Greek island paradise. 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.
The story-telling magic of ABBA's timeless songs propels this enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship, creating an unforgettable show. A large cast, non-stop laughs and explosive dance numbers combine to make Mamma Mia! a guaranteed smash hit for any theatre. A mother. A daughter. Three possible dads. And a trip down the aisle you'll never forget!
Important Materials
There are many good versions of Mamma Mia that you can watch on Youtube. I recommend this one:
Mamma Mia - Summit High School
A Message about conflicts: There have been a significantly high number of conflicts given to us to work around during show time. We try to work around conflicts when possible but it has become increasingly harder and harder to schedule rehearsals. In preparation for this year, know that a typical rehearsal schedule begins as early as 2:30 (music and dance) and often as late as 6:30 on Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri and on Saturdays we typically rehearse 10:30 - 2:00. Rehearsal schedules are posted one week in advance or more and you will likely not be called for all rehearsals. Please try to schedule your conflicts after 6:00 or 6:30 pm.
When we are rehearsing a show, we need these rehearsals to be the priority and you will need to schedule your other rehearsals, classes, work, etc. around this schedule. We will do the best we can to work around approved conflicts at the time of your audition such as college auditions, and SAT's. No conflicts (minus approved exceptions) will be accepted in our last three weeks including tech and performances 3/13 - 4/2.
Rehearsal and performance details:
This production will perform live March 30 - April 2, 2023
A full cast read-through will take place Wed 1/11 3:45pm - 6:00pm in G100
Rehearsals will begin the week of 1/16 (typically Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri, 2:45 - 6:30 and some Saturdays between 10:00 - 3:00 (this is a typical schedule although some times may vary.) You will likely not be called for every rehearsal but you will have dance, music, and staging rehearsals that will be scheduled during these various time slots.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
Principal Roles
SOPHIE SHERIDAN – F Vocal: Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano
Born and raised on the island. A very special young woman who is determined to find the romance and happiness she feels eluded her mother. Has an adventurous spirit even though she pursues a conventional marriage.
DONNA SHERIDAN – F Vocal: Mezzo-Soprano, Alto
Sophie's mother. Free-spirited. Former lead singer of “Donna and the Dynamos”. Owner of the hotel Villa Donna on the island.
Supporting Roles:
SKY – M Vocal: Tenor, Baritone
Sophie's fiancé. Athletic, was a successful businessman. Left to help Donna with her taverna and marry Sophie.
TANYA – F Vocal: Mezzo-Soprano, Alto
A former singer in the “Dynamos.” Rich, sophisticated, acerbic, funny, and witty.
ROSIE – F Vocal: D5- E3/Alto
Also a former singer in the “Dynamos” who now writes for and runs a feminist press. She’s confident, strong, and funny on the outside but shy underneath. Kooky and fun, good comic actress, a bit of a clown.
SAM CARMICHAEL – M Vocal: Baritone
May be Sophie’s father. Left Donna 20 years ago because he was engaged to another woman. Charming, successful architect.
HARRY BRIGHT – M Vocal: High Baritone, Tenor
May be Sophie’s father. British financier, wealthy, buttoned-up, and conservative but trying to reconnect with his freer, youthful self.
BILL AUSTIN – M Vocal: Baritone
May be Sophie’s father. A travel writer with no possessions or strings. Good-natured, always ready for adventure. Funny, comedic actor.
Featured Ensemble:
LISA – F Vocal: Mezzo-Soprano
Sophie’s friend who arrives to be a bridesmaid. Very energetic and kooky.
ALI – F Vocal: Mezzo-Soprano
Sophie’s friend. Impulsive and fun. Should contrast to Lisa and Sophie.
PEPPER – M Vocal: Baritone, Tenor
Barman at the taverna. Sky’s friend. Helps run the hotel. Charming, loves women, always flirting.
EDDIE – M Vocal: Baritone, Tenor
Helps Sky with Water-Sports. Another friend of Sky and hotel worker. Laid-back, easygoing.
FATHER ALEXANDRIOS – M Bass, Baritone, Tenor
The minister of Kalokairi who will be performing the wedding ceremony.
SCENES AND MUSICAL NUMBERS
ACT I
PROLOGUE - THE BEACH (POSTBOX)
I Have a Dream ...............................................SOPHIE
SCENE ONE - THE BEACH
Honey, Honey ................................................ SOPHIE, ALI, LISA
SCENE TWO - THE COURTYARD
Money, Money, Money ....................................DONNA & COMPANY
SCENE THREE - THE COURTYARD
Thank You For The Music ............................ HARRY, BILL, SAM & SOPHIE
Mamma Mia .................................................. DONNA, HARRY, BILL, SAM & COMPANY
SCENE FOUR - DONNA.'S ROOM
Chiquitita ........................................................ ROSIE, TANYA & DONNA
Dancing Queen .............................................. ROSIE, TANYA & DONNA
SCENE FIVE - THE BEACH
Lay All Your Love On Me ...............................SKY, SOPHIE, PEPPER, EDDIE, BOYS & GIRLS
SCENE SIX - THE COURTYARD
Super Trouper ................................................DONNA, TANYA, ROSIE, GIRLS
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme ............................... LISA, ALI, SOPHIE, SAM, BILL, HARRY, GIRLS
SCENE SEVEN - THE JETTY
The Name Of the Game ................................. SOPHIE & BILL
SCENE EIGHT - THE COURTYARD
Voulez Vous ................................................... SKY, EDDIE, PEPPER & COMPANY
ACT II
SCENE ONE - SOPHIE'S ROOM
Under Attack ..................................................SOPHIE & NIGHTMARE CHORUS
SCENE TWO - THE COURTYARD
One Of Us ......................................................DONNA
S.O.S ..............................................................SAM & DONNA
SCENE THREE - THE BEACH
Does Your Mother Know? .............................TANYA, PEPPER, HARRY, ROSIE, LISA, ALI, BILL
Knowing Me, Knowing You ...........................SAM
SCENE FOUR - DONNA'S ROOM
Our Last Summer ............................................DONNA & HARRY
Slipping Through My Fingers ........................DONNA & SOPHIE
The Winner Takes It All.. ................................DONNA
SCENE FIVE - THE COURTYARD
Take A Chance On Me ....................................ROSIE & BILL
I Do, I Do, I Do ............................................. SAM, ROSIE, TANYA, DONNA & COMPANY
SCENE SIX - THE JETTY
I Have A Dream ............................................. SOPHIE & COMPANY
Mamma Mia Bows ........................................ COMPANY
Dancing Queen Bows .................................... COMPANY
Waterloo .......................................................... COMPANY
Full Synopsis
Act One
On a small Greek island, we meet Sophie as she sends off three envelopes in the mail ("Overture/Prologue"). She announces the names of the men they're addressed to - Sam Carmichael, Bill Austin, Harry Bright. Lisa and Ali, Sophie's friends, arrive and reveal that Sophie's wedding is tomorrow. Sophie confesses to them that she's invited her father to the wedding…or at least the three men who could possibly be her father. After going through her mother's diary from the year she got pregnant ("Honey, Honey"), Sophie has determined that Sam, Bill, and Harry are the candidates to walk her down the aisle.
Donna, Sophie's mother, greets her lifelong friends Tanya and Rosie, who have just showed up for the wedding. The trio used to perform as the group Donna and The Dynamos. Running the Taverna, an inn on the island, Donna laments constantly working ("Money, Money, Money").
Sam, Harry, and Bill arrive at the Taverna. Sophie greets them, shocked to see them all there. Spotting his old guitar, Harry begins to strum a tune and Sophie joins him ("Thank You For The Music"). Sophie admits to them that she was the one who sent the invitations. Sam is clearly distressed by this. Just as Sophie is about to take them to their rooms, Donna comes out and sees them all there. Once she sees Sam, she is overcome with mixed emotions ("Mamma Mia").
Rosie and Tanya try to console Donna ("Chiquitita"). Donna tells them that although she always told them that Sam was Sophie's father, she wasn't really sure. She also tells them that Sam and the two other men who might be the father are at the Taverna. Rosie and Tanya rouse Donna's spirits, telling her that the Donna who used to be the life of the party is still inside her ("Dancing Queen").
Sophie asks Sky, her fiancé, to promise her he will never leave her like her father left Donna. Sky promises his constant love to her ("Lay All Your Love On Me") before Eddie and other friends lead him off for his stag night.
At Sophie's "hen night" (bachelorette party), Donna, Tanya, and Rosie perform in their old costumes as Donna and The Dynamos ("Super Trouper"). Sam, Bill, and Harry show up, and Sophie lets them join the fun ("Gimme, Gimme, Gimme"). Sophie gets a moment alone with Sam, who asks her why she's invited him to the wedding. Sophie, unable to tell him the truth, dances with Harry and tells him she does not know who her dad is. Before he can respond, Harry is whisked away by dancers. Bill gets to dance with Sophie, who tells him that his great-aunt Sophia was the one who left Donna the money for the Taverna in her will. Once Bill learns how old Sophie is, he has an epiphany, but Sophie is taken away by the party dancers before either can say anything else.
Bill and Sophie have another moment alone. Bill tells Sophie to come clean to Donna about trying to find her father. Sophie tells him she's tired of secrecy ("The Name Of The Game"). She asks him to give her away at the wedding and to let it be a surprise for Donna. Bill agrees.
Sky and his stag party return and join Sophie's bachelorette festivities ("Voulez Vous"). Sam takes Sophie aside and declares that he will give her away, clearly convinced he's her father. Before Sophie can object, they are swept up in the dancing. Harry then takes Sophie aside and claims that he will be the one to give her away. Overwhelmed, Sophie breaks away from the dance in a state of shock.
Act Two
After the "Entr'acte" plays, the curtain comes up on Sophie having a nightmare about her anxiety over her three prospective fathers and wakes up in distress ("Under Attack").
Donna thinks Sophie is upset because she secretly wants to call the wedding off. Sophie fires back that she would never want to raise a child without a father figure and storms off. Donna is left alone, feeling hurt and full of regrets ("One of Us"). Sam approaches Donna, and they look back on how things used to be between them ("SOS").
Pepper, one of Sky's friends, approaches Tanya on the beach and tries to flirt with her. Tanya chides him and tells him off ("Does Your Mother Know?"). Sophie finds Sky and confesses to him about her plan to bring Sam, Bill, and Harry to the wedding. Sky accuses her of using their wedding as a ploy to find her father and walks off. Sophie tries to go after him, but Sam stops her. Sam explains to Sophie that he left Donna to get married and have kids, only to end up divorced and remorseful for settling down too young ("Knowing Me, Knowing You"). Sophie, convinced that her love for Sky is stronger, leaves him to find Sky.
Harry finds Donna and offers her a check to help pay for the wedding. They reminisce about their time together years ago ("Our Last Summer"). Sophie enters with her wedding dress and asks Donna to help her get ready. Donna gets her daughter in her wedding dress, seeing her little girl all grown up ("Slipping Through My Fingers"). Sophie asks Donna to be the one to give her away. After Sophie leaves, Sam comes in and tells Donna he should walk Sophie down the aisle. Donna refuses to hear it and tell him he's done enough to her ("The Winner Takes It All").
Bill comes to Rosie and tells her of his anxiety over marriage and children, having sworn a life of adventure. Seeing a kindred spirit, Rosie woos him ("Take A Chance On Me"). Bill is about to succumb when guests arrive for the wedding.
Donna walks Sophie down the aisle. As the ceremony is about to start, Donna announces that Sophie's father is present but doesn't know which man he is. Sam, Bill, and Harry are bewildered. Harry says he is overjoyed to be one of Sophie's three dads and admits to Donna that he is now in a committed relationship with a man back home. Sophie proposes to Sky that they not get married and instead go see the world. With a priest still present, Sam proposes to Donna, who accepts ("I Do, I Do, I Do"). There ends up being a wedding after all!
The show ends with Sky and Sophie leaving the island to go on a new adventure together ("I Have A Dream").
The company takes their bows along to some audience-rousing hits ("Mamma Mia", "Dancing Queen", "Waterloo").
Audition Tips
To memorize or not to memorize? It is always good to be memorized as you are then better prepared to deliver the best audition possible. The more familiar you are with the material, the more effective your audition will be.
Be as familiar with the play and the characters as possible. There are many versions of the show that you can watch on Youtube. The original cast album is widely available. Be aware that there are differences between that album and the version we have licensed for performance. Read through the show synopsis and character descriptions. Think of where your skills would best fit within the world of the show and try to pick a monologue for your audition that conveys that.
Be confident – even if you have never done this before, the audition is a chance for you to show what you can do.
Be professional - stand for your audition, dress well, introduce yourself (full name, grade, and monologue you will be performing). Make sure that we can clearly hear you.
If you are nervous, channel your nerves into good positive energy. It is important to remember that the creative team wants you to be great and wants to find the right fit for you.
Ask questions - it is ok to ask questions prior to your audition - contact Mrs. Roos (Director/Advisor) at aroos@bethlehemschools.org