North County Broadway Star Takes Center Stage In 'Mamma Mia!'

CARLSBAD, CA — It wasn't too many years ago that Alisa Melendez was singing in the church choir in San Diego County. Now, the 20-year-old rising Broadway star has a lead role as "Sophie" in the North American touring production of "Mamma Mia!"

Melendez and the production began their tour at San Diego Civic Theatre this week for the 25th anniversary of the show, now on the California swing of its North American Tour. This is Melendez's first trip back to San Diego's stage since performing in the Broadway production of "Almost Famous" at the Old Globe in 2022, according to a report in the Union-Tribune. She stepped in as an understudy/swing cast member in that performance. She felt "an extra special sense of electricity and love from the cast and audiences every moment.

"Saving the show and bringing a whole new energy to the show is truly an honor, and to be carried by a cast full of so much joy and support is something I will never forget," she told the UT.

The actress began her career singing in church at the Tri-City Christian School in Vista, according to a recent report by the Union-Tribune. She graduated from the Orange County School of the Arts and later Pace University in New York, completing her degree in 2020. Now, she says she feels lucky to bring the show to the stage in San Diego for a hometown crowd. This is the second stop for the traveling show launched one week ago.

To date, "Mamma Mia!" has been seen in 50 productions in 16 different languages, grossing more than $4 billion at the box office, according to BroadwayWorld.com.

The story "Mamma Mia!" launched in 1999 and features the songs of ABBA members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus in a multi-tiered romance. In the musical, Sophie (Melendez) is the engaged daughter of a single mom, Donna, who runs a taverna on a Greek island. Sophie is searching for her biological father. Unfortunately, her mom isn't sure which of the three tourists she tangled with 20 years ago holds that role. Sophie, pretending to be her mother, invites all three men to the island in a romantic story for the ages.

After closing San Diego, the troupe will head to Los Angeles's Hollywood Pantages Theater for a three-week engagement. See photos from their opening productions on BroadwayWorld.

For more information or to buy tickets through Sunday, Nov. 12, visit Mamma Mia! - Broadway San Diego.