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A scene from “Mamma Mia!” (Seensee Company) |
The globally popular hit musical “Mamma Mia!” has returned to Seoul, this time starring a British cast from the original London production.
Written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, and based on songs by ABBA ― the famous Swedish pop group, active from 1972 to 1982 ― including “Dancing Queen,” “Money, Money, Money” and “Thank You for the Music,” the musical offers a hilarious tale of a young bride-to-be’s search for her unknown father.
The musical premiered in 1999 in the West End at Prince Edward Theatre, and was staged on Broadway in 2001. Since then, more than 54 million audience members have seen the show worldwide. Its film adaptation was released in 2008, starring Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan in the leading roles.
The show premiered in the Korean language with an all-Korean cast in 2004, and has been staged every year in about 21 cities nationwide since then.
“Mamma Mia!” has been performed in some of the most popular venues in the country, including Seoul Arts Center’s Opera Theater, the Charlotte Theater, the National Theater of Korea and D-Cube Arts Center.
Many leading actors and actresses, including Choi Jung-won and Lee Hyun-woo, enjoyed popularity for their performances in the musical.
The original London cast has been invited to perform in Korea as next year marks the 10th anniversary of the musical’s Korean premiere.
Actress Sara Poyzer stars as Donna, the single mother whose daughter is soon to marry, while Keiron Crook appears as Harry, one of the three potential fathers of Sophie, Donna’s only daughter. Actress Victoria Serra is starring as Sophie.
“Mamma Mia!” runs until March 23 at Blue Square’s Samsung Electronics Hall in Hannam-dong, Seoul. Tickets range from 50,000 won to 150,000 won. For more information, call 1544-1555.
By Claire Lee (
dyc@heraldcorp.com)
