Theater Review: 'Mamma Mia!' by Amity Creative Theater

Review by Nancy Sasso Janis

WOODBRIDGE - The Amity Creative Theater opened the shiny production of the classic “Mamma Mia!” on the stage of the Woodbridge campus. The performances continue through April 9.

“Mamma Mia!” is the jukebox musical of the songs of ABBA, with music and lyrics by Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus and some songs by Stig Anderson. The book for the musical was written by Catherine Johnson and was originally conceived by Judy Craymer.

The show marks the fifteenth spring musical for the directing team of Rob and Andrea Kennedy.

The cast is led by two talented teen performers, with Amity senior McKenna Maxwell of Bethany in her seventh Amity production as the lovely Sophie Sheridan and senior Brynn Weirsman from Orange (Countess Lilly in “Anastasia”) as her single mother Donna. Maxwell, who played Christina Mundy in “Dancing in Lughnasa” and Zuzu (and others) in “It’s a Wonderful Life” and the Narrator in “Puffs,” brings a clear singing voice and plenty of stage presence to the role and Weirsman ages up to play the owner of the taverna on a Greek Island.

The young men that take on the roles of Sophie’s possible fathers are Amity senior Nolan Young of Orange (Gleb in “Anastasia”) as the handsome Sam Carmichael, senior Corey Richards from Orange as the very tall world traveler Bill Austin and senior Robert Farbman from Woodbridge in his first-ever production as the former headbanger turned banker Harry Bright. Young uses his wonderful tenor voice to perform “Knowing Me, Knowing You” beautifully and Richards uses plenty of charm in “Take A Chance on Me.” Farbman maintains his accent even while singing “Our Last Summer.”

Junior Spencer Fiske from Bethany shines as Sophie’s betrothed Sky in his fourth Amity show and junior Grace Lupoli from Bethany and Gillian Fuchs play her bridesmaid Lisa and Ali respectively.

The Dynamos of Donna’s former girl-power singing group are brought to glorious life by senior Audrey Jurzyk of Orange as Rosie and senior Zola Kneeland as the glamorous Tanya. Kneeland performed for the New Haven Academy of Performing Arts as Donna in “Mamma Mia!” in 2021 and Jurzyk played Brenda in “Catch Me If You Can” in 2019, Agnes in “Dancing at Lughnasa,” and Megan Jones in “Puffs” last year.

The two have wonderful chemistry with their lead singer Donna in every scene. Jurzyk makes the most of the comedic elements of her character, especially during “Take a Chance on Me” with Richards in the second act. Kneeland brings the right amount of sass to Tanya and acts the part well for “Does Your Mother Know.”

Senior Sage Paglia of New Haven as Pepper, sophomore Jacob Ebert from Orange (“Puffs,” “Anastasia”) as Eddie and Amity junior Michael Perrone (“Puffs”) of Orange as the officiant round out the cast. The dedicated members of the ensemble pull off the exciting choreography designed by Mrs. Kennedy with her associate Kelsey Sullivan and they add life to the Greek isle. The high-energy dancing for “Gimme! Gimme!” and “Voulez-Vous” and the finale was most memorable for me. The design of Sophie’s nightmare in “Under Attack” features ghosts in all-black and white-rimmed glasses and is quite effective.

The eleven piece orchestra under the direction of Phil Dolan sounded huge without overwhelming the singers. If anything, the volume of some of the performers at the beginning of the first act was too loud for my ears; fortunately this seemed to improve as the performance proceeded. The musicians in the pit are 90% current Amity students and Macia Rizzotti served as musical director.

And those costumes…Costume Designers Julie Chevan and Brenda Burt have worked their magic once again with the now-iconic ABBA-inspired ensembles, as well as everything else. While the matching jumpsuits in the disco-ball enhanced final scene are impressive, my favorites were actually the shiny silver costumes for Donna and Dynamos when the trio performs “Dancing Queen” at the bachelorette party. Be sure to check out the always-interesting display about the making of the costumes at the back of the decorated lobby.

Scenic Designer Ryan M. Howell designed the taverna set that fills the stage and Dan Hassenmayer lights it beautifully.

Opening night marked the first indoor audience for the group in three years, because “Anastasia” was presented outdoors on the Amity campus.

The Jamie Hulley Arts Foundation is one of the proud corporate sponsors of the performance. The performance is presented with one fifteen-minute intermission, allowing patrons to visit the various concession tables located in the decorated lobby. The opening night performance was sold out, but a few tickets are available for the three upcoming performances, so don’t wait to secure your seat.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theater reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues. She posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theater news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. She recently became a contributor to the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column and theater reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

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