by Cari Lynn Pace *

Several Broadway stars escaped New York’s scorching heat to join a sensational cast of 24 and show up on the bucolic Sonoma stage under the stars in Transcendence Theatre Company’s Mamma Mia! The show features twenty-two songs and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, two members of the wildly successful Swedish pop group ABBA. Catherine Johnson and Judy Craymer booked Abba’s songs into a fantasy plot on a Greek island. A big hit on Broadway and in film, it now shines into the night just a few blocks from Sonoma Square.

A young bride-to-be seeks to determine which of her mother’s long-ago secret suitors is actually her dad. Karsten Lane Flake as the charming Sophie invites the three unsuspecting men to her wedding, where mayhem ensues. Blake Whyte, Matt Gibson, and Brian Ray Norris bring distinct personalities and hilarious confusion to their roles.

Donna, Sophie’s hardworking mom, suspects nothing. Allison Pearce knocks her lead role out of the park with vocals and limber moves that defy gravity. Her BFF sidekicks, played by Lori Haley Fox and Tiffani Barbour, bring outrageous behavior to the taverna, and the audience loves every bit of it.  

Director Tony Gonzalez, a multi-skilled veteran performer, was also the show’s associate choreographer and scenic designer. Associate director Monica Kapoor also handled the choreography which spills over the stage and into the aisles. Transcendence’s Musical Director Susan Draus is once again in charge of the music, led by Kenji Harada with a robust ten-piece band just off stage. They are intermittently joined for stunning harmony by an ensemble choir when they’re not dancing onstage.

It’s a joyful explosion of music and dance.

If you go: Arrive as early as 5 PM at Fazio Field, now christened the Field of Dreams. Parking is at multiple lots and electric trikes ferry passengers to check-in. Bring picnics to spread on the tables with umbrellas, while food trucks ply their wares, premium wine and beer vendors offer glassfuls, and low key live music encourages friendly camaraderie. Assigned seating begins as patrons adjust their hats before the sun goes down. When the show starts, have a jacket ready in case it gets cool and prepare to be blown away!

Playing through August 30, 2026 at Sonoma’s Field of Dreams, 151 1st St W, Sonoma.

Click HERE for more information and tickets.

Photos by Rob Martel

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