New York – “Mamma Mia!”, The “big heart” musical, which combined Abba songs and very enthusiastic to become a big hit on stage and then in the cinema, is scheduled to start her previews on August 2 at Winter Garden Theater – where she spent much of her original performance. The opening date is scheduled for August 14, and the season is expected to last at least six months.
“I hope it’s a small summer gift to New York,” said Judy Craymer, the British producer who initially commissioned the musical and turned it into a global business.
The acceptance of the musical in New York, with 5,773 performances from 2001 to 2015, made it the ninth long -term show in Broadway history. Its 50 productions around the world in 16 languages were seen by more than 70 million people and raised more than $ 7 billion, the show’s advertisers said.
The story of mother and daughter of the musical is set on a fictitious Greek island, where family and friends gathered for a wedding. The daughter is determined to use the occasion to find out which three ex-boyfriends of her mother is her father, whose identity she never knew.
For many fans, the plot is largely a structure for an extremely popular set of Abba songs and many lively dance numbers (played by actors in lush and sometimes minimal costumes) that caused occasional dances of viewers in the corridors.
“It’s the idyllic Greek holiday,” said Craymer, “and everyone wants to be on that island, without a cell phone, having fun.”
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The show debuted in London in 1999 and has been on display since then. Broadway production was inaugurated shortly after the 2001 terrorist attacks, and although the criticisms were warm (the critic of the New York TimesBen Brantley, called him “a giant Cupcake Hostess singing”), his escapist tone was a key ingredient for his success and symbolic role in helping Broadway recover.
He sold well for years, but the enthusiasm decreased when the initial season ended.
Among the four productions on display, one of them is on a cruise ship. In the last 11 years, the show has also been available for licensing by theaters and local schools, where more than 4,500 times have been staged.
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“He celebrates women, it’s about second chances, it’s about hope, and it’s not a political – he unites the audience,” Craymer said. “And he became an empowerment for the young female audience, definitely – that doesn’t exclude the boys, of course.”
Craymer said the theatrical productions also benefited from Meryl Streep’s film duo, including the original “Mamma Mia!” Launched in 2008, and the prequel “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, ”released in 2018.
Craymer said he is committed to making a third movie – “There is still a story to finish,” she said – but the schedule is uncertain.
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“Mamma Mia!” presents music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, from ABBA; The book is by Catherine Johnson, and the director is Phyllida Lloyd.
Although the return to Broadway is being announced as a limited season, Craymer has not committed how firm it will be. “I hope this means that we can go back again or that we will extend even more,” she said, adding that the show remains unchanged, except for some small design adjustments. “This is not a secondary production or a reprint,” she said. “It’s still the show.”
Originally published in The New York Times.
