by Cari Lynn Pace *

When a stage musical is made into a hit movie, can local singers, actors, and the painted scenery match the excitement of the film’s special effects and celebrity cast?

If the production is Mamma Mia!, now being presented by the Novato Theater Company through June 7, the answer is “Yes, absolutely!” This knockout show delivers the original music and lyrics by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus and a book by Catherine Johnson and it does it in one take, right there on the stage.

Director Lisa Morse pulled outstanding performances from a huge cast who welcomes all to a sunny Greek island. The singing is superb, so much so that I thought there might be a recorded soundtrack. There isn’t. Conductor Nick Brown works musical magic with his band of three electronic keyboards, two guitars, a drum set and bass.

It’s a joy to hear the opening vocals of Gia Mirra as Sophie. More pleasure is at hand when veteran Julianne Bretan in the title role of Donna shows off her soaring vocal chops. The diminutive Bretan portrays a punchy and capable owner of a taverna, and the mother of a bride-to-be Sophie. Bretan’s acting range slips from determined to frustrated to endearing and never misses a beat.

Sophie eagerly awaits her wedding day and secretly invites her mother’s three former boyfriends to the wedding. Which one will claim her and walk her down the aisle? Sophie and her BFFs Alli (Kristin Brewer) and Lisa (Marlee Ostrom) giggle along at Sophie’s plot. Her handsome fiancé Sky, a perfectly cast Dominic Marco Canty, is not convinced her plan is a good one.

Donna’s besties and former girl bandmates arrive, giving Jane Harrington as Tanya and Lauren Sutton-Beattie as Rosie a lot of wry lines and delightful songs to share. They sing “Dancing Queen” with panache and pizzaz in costumes designed by Huda Al Jamal, who also designed the cool taverna stage setting.

When Donna’s three former lovers arrive, they are unclear as to why they were invited. The men are well cast (Lorenzo Alviso as Sam, Cordell Wesselink as Bill, and David Cole as Harry) and the taverna erupts with expected confusion. More wedding guests arrive, including Eddie (Jared Gaulding) and Father Alexandrios (Bob Galagaran) while the beach fills with non-stop fun, especially a wetsuit bit. The second act contains another hilarious scene where Sky’s buddy Pepper, enacted with aplomb by Kevin Allen, puts the moves on Tanya as she sings “Does your Mother Know?”

Kudos to Marilyn Izdebski for the zippy choreography creating tight moves from many novice dancers. An announcement is made at the start for the audience to kindly refrain from singing and dancing along until the finale.

It’s tough to obey that one with ABBA’s music.

Playing through June 7, 2026 at the Novato Theater Company Playhouse, 5420 Nave Dr., Novato.

Click HERE for more information and tickets. (Tickets are EXTREMELY limited.)

Photos by Jere Torkelsen

Cari Lynn Pace is a long-time Bay Area theatre critic whose reviews were regularly featured in the Marinscope Community Newspapers and is a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle.