When you think of stage-to-screen adaptations, I’m sure Mamma Mia! is one of the first musicals that pops into your head.  From Tuesday, September 24 to Sunday, October 6, the five-time Tony-nominated musical will be at Citizens Opera House in the heart of Boston’s theater district.

The story follows Sophie and Donna Sheridan on a small Greek island as they prepare for Sophie’s wedding day.  Three months before her wedding, Sophie invites three former lovers of her mother, Sam Carmichael, Bill Austin, and Harry Bright, hoping that one of these three men will be her dad.  Now, it’s the day before her wedding and the three men have arrived.  Sophie tries to hide the fact that she invited them, but Donna runs into the men of her past, reawakening old memories.  Written by Catherine Johnson, the musical tells the said story through ABBA songs, bringing the 70s pop band into a new light, decades after the Swedish band reached international stardom.  In April of 1999, Johnson’s show opened in London’s West End, where it is the fourth-longest-running show in West End history.  In October of 2001, Mamma Mia! opened on Broadway and closed in September of 2015 (I was there to see the final performance!).  In 2008, it was adapted into a movie of the same name, starring Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried.  Instantly, the film became a cult classic.

I had the opportunity to attend the opening night of the classic jukebox musical on Tuesday.  Having seen the show multiple times, I knew Mamma Mia would be fantastic.  The show opens three months before Sophie’s wedding as she sends out invitations to Sam, Bill, and Harry.  After the first number, “I Have a Dream,” we are thrown into the whirlwind of events of the first act, which takes place the night before the wedding.  Arriving that day are Sophie’s friends Ali and Lisa, Donna’s best friends Rosie and Tanya, and Sophie’s possible dads.  The first act was done with enthusiasm from every cast member, making the performance nothing short of fun.  And of course, what would the second act be without the blare of an electric guitar that’ll make the whole house jump (not exaggerating)?  After “Entr’Act,” the rest of the musical tells what happens on the day of Sophie’s wedding.  The end of the show includes a plot twist that will make everyone cheer.  After the final song, “I Have a Dream” and the cast takes their bows, the entire audience is invited to dance and sing along to “Dancing Queen” and “Waterloo,” concluding a performance of feel-good music and emotions.

Mamma Mia! is one of the shows where you need an amazing cast to feel elated by the time the curtain goes down.  The 25th-anniversary touring cast has done just that.  The main cast includes Christine Sherrill as Donna, Alisa Melendez as Sophie, Carly Sakolove as Rosie, Jalynn Steele as Tanya, Rob Marnell as Harry, Jim Newman as Bill, Victor Wallace as Sam, and Grant Reynolds as Sky.  Sherrill captured Donna powerfully and perfectly, making her audience empathetic towards every song that she was singing.  The final note in “The Winner Takes it All” echoed throughout the walls of the theater, with the audience giving Sherill the ovation she deserved.  Melendez’s sweet voice encapsulated Sophie’s innocence and grace.  Sakolove, who played Rosie on the national tour ten years ago, and Steele made audiences in every number they were in, particularly in “Does Your Mother Know” and “Take a Chance on Me.”  Because of the comic relief that Tanya brings, she is my favorite character.  Marnell, Newman, and Wallace make Sophie’s possible dads some of the most loveable characters on stage.  Their harmonies in “Thank You for the Music” were incredible.  And what would Sophie’s wedding be without Sky?  Reynolds portrayed Sky with energy (who knew someone could look so good in a scuba suit?)  Reynolds’ and Melendez’s chemistry between Sophie and Sky is electric, their onstage love is something I’m sure people would want to have in their own relationships (and Reynolds look so good in a wedding dress!).  Honestly, the overall chemistry of the show was great: Sophie and Sky, Donna and the Dynamos, the three dads, and most importantly, Donna and Sophie; their onstage mother-daughter bond will warm your heart.

If you haven’t seen Mamma Mia! already, then you should while it’s still here.  And if you’ve already seen it, treat yourself and see it again!  Mamma Mia! is a show that no matter how many times you’ve seen it, you still get the same emotions over and over.  Mamma Mia!, we “thank you for the music.”

To find out more about the national tour, visit this website: https://mammamiathetour.com/#.  You can book tickets for Mamma Mia! on Ticketmaster.  But do hurry, they are selling out fast!