Mamma Mia! - cast changes
Story by Lizzie Guilfoyle
MAMMA Mia!, which is currently booking until April 25, 2009 at the Prince of Wales Theatre, has announced cast changes – to take effect from March 3, 2008.
Outgoing cast members Iain Fletcher, Steven Finch, Paul Hawkyard, Hannah Robertson, Paul Shelford, Lucy Miller, Tanya Robb, Ben Heathcote and Kieran Jae will be replaced by Richard Laing (Sam Carmichael), Paul Ryan (Harry Bright), Andrew Hall (Bill Austin), Katie Brayben (Sophie Sheridan), Oliver Hembrough (Sky), Jodie Read (Ali), Laura Selwood (Lisa), Giovanni Spano (Pepper) and Matt Wilman (Eddie).
Linzi Hateley (Donna Sheridan), Joanna Monro (Rosie) and Jane Gurnett (Tanya) will remain with the production. However, at certain performances Melissa Jacques will play Donna.
Mamma Mia! is described as a sunny, funny tale that unfolds on a Greek island where, on the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited 20 years before.
Based on the songs of ABBA, Mamma Mia! includes the hits Dancing Queen, Knowing Me, Knowing You, S.O.S. Take a Chance on Me and The Winner Takes It All.
Mamma Mia! premiered at the Prince Edward Theatre in April 1999, transferring to the Prince of Wales Theatre in 2004. It has now been seen by more than 27 million people worldwide. And in Summer 2008, the film adaptation starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Julie Walters, is due in cinemas.
Mamma Mia! has music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and a book by Catherine Johnson. It is directed by Phyllida Lloyd, choreographed by Anthony van Laast, designed by Mark Thompson, with lighting design by Howard Harrison.