Celebrate disco-pop classics with Clear Space’s ‘Mamma Mia’

The frothy jukebox musical “Mamma Mia!” is playing this summer at Rehoboth’s Clear Space Theatre, and ABBA fans will hear most of their greatest hits, including “Super Trouper,” “Dancing Queen,” “Money, Money, Money” and “SOS.” 

The story is set on a Greek island, where 20-year old Sophie is getting ready to marry Sky, an island boy, and she wants her father to walk her down the aisle. The dilemma is that Sophie’s free-spirited mother, Donna, never revealed his identity. Sophie manages to discover the names of three men who were intimate with her mother 21 years before, and unbeknownst to Donna, invites all three to the wedding.

Despite the cheesy story, “Mamma Mia!” evokes nostalgic responses from ABBA fans in the audience. It also has some significance for its celebration of the liberation and empowerment of women. Donna, a former lead singer in a girl band, is now a successful, self-made woman and devoted mother who has refused to let her world be defined by the men in her life.

Come to be wowed by the singing and dancing, and you won’t be disappointed. Shondelle Graulich’s choreography is spot-on, and she has great fun integrating many of the dance moves of the disco era. The male ensemble’s dance in diving flippers blends sheer madness and certain genius. Set designer Eddie Seger creates a picturesque Greek scene, but the movement of the set pieces, especially the clumsy staging with the folding bed, needs some cleaning up.

It’s great that Music Director Melanie Bradley has a live five-piece band, but the instrumental balance is disappointing. The guitar, an important element of ABBA songs, can’t be heard, and the keyboards, although expertly played, obscure the rest of the ensemble. The offstage background singers are so soft and distant in quality that they simply sound distracting. The lighting design by Brendan Smith is effective, but the glitz and glitter of the costumes and the setting on a sun-drenched Greek island could be enhanced by brighter lighting.

The many principal characters are all strongly played. Autumn Schneider as Donna is a powerful, first-rate belter. Special recognition is due to Jana Jackson as the daughter, Sophie. This is Jackson’s first lead, but she truly makes the role hers with nuanced acting.

Caroline Anderson and Carissa Meiklejohn have great fun with their roles as Donna’s BFFs and members of her old singing group, Donna and the Dynamos. Their first performance in the over-the-top disco regalia designed by Robyn Kingsbury is perfectly outrageous. Between that scene and the full-cast finale, how did Robyn come up with all those platform shoes, lamé fabric and sequins? Beach Essentials and Pineapple Princess get special points for the great swimming outfits on the dancing ensemble, which is drilled into tight precision by Dance Captain Alei Russo.

Handsome, hunky, and charming Frankie Rocco is a perfect Greek fiancé for Sophie, and the three maybe dads, played by Tom Sawyer, Craig Terrell Jr. and Rick Nazarro, are much more comfortable and effective than the Hollywood actors who played those roles in the movie.

More than 40 years after the band became superstars and 20 years after “Mamma Mia!” premiered in London’s West End, ABBA’s highly polished and tightly engineered pop songs remain popular. One reason is that gay male fans kept coming back to that music. “Dancing Queen” has been a fixture at gay bars and in the drag scene, and “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” and “Voulez-Vous” became gay anthems celebrating hedonistic clubbing and just having a good time.

The best part of “Mamma Mia!” comes at the end where the entire company performs a megamix of the songs “Mamma Mia,” “Dancing Queen” and “Waterloo.” Relieved of the need to create a story where certain songs fit in, the cast members can finally let loose with mindless joy and celebration, and even invite audience members to join them on stage.

“Mamma Mia!” runs through Saturday, Aug. 31, at Clear Space Theatre, 20 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach. Tickets are $17-$32, with discounts offered for students and senior citizens. Go to www.clearspacetheatre.org for details.