Since 2001, Broadway audiences have been singing and dancing in the aisles to the hit musical sensation MAMMA MIA!

This summer, the show’s energy and excitement will come to theaters when Meryl Streep leads an all-star cast, including Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth, in the film version of the musical that features classic hits from the pop supergroup ABBA.

The Story Behind the Success
That the stage production has now been made into a film is not a surprise. MAMMA MIA! is no less than a world-wide phenomenon.

The musical (as well as a book) was written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, who based the play upon songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, the founding members of ABBA. The play’s title comes from the group’s 1975 hit Mamma Mia. Despite the ABBA connections, the musical’s plot has nothing to do with the group itself.

Produced by Judy Craymer, MAMMA MIA! made its world premiere on April 6, 1999, at London’s prestigious Prince Edward Theatre located in the West End.

MAMMA MIA! follows the story of Sophie, a bride-to-be who grew up never knowing her father. Her mother, Donna, runs a hotel on the small Greek island where the nuptials will take place. Without Donna’s knowledge, Sophie invites three men from Donna’s wild past. Sophie thinks one of these men may be her father. Adding to the wacky wedding chaos are Donna’s two lifelong friends, Rosie and Tanya, who are there to help Donna come to terms with the fact that her only child is getting married.

Mixed in with the all the comedy and romance are many of ABBA’s greatest hits, including Dancing Queen, Does Your Mother Know, Take a Chance on Me, S.O.S., Winner Takes It All and, of course, Mamma Mia.

One Stage Isn’t Enough
Currently in its seventh year at Broadway’s Cadillac Winter Garden Theatre, the musical sold out its first six seasons. To date, it has grossed more than $336 million and has been one of Broadway’s top-five highest grossing shows ever. Its weekly box-office earnings routinely exceed $1 million.

With the success of MAMMA MIA! on Broadway, it’s no wonder a second permanent U.S. production appeared on the scene. It’s only fitting that the other location be in the entertainment capital of the world—Las Vegas. Within a week of its 2003 opening at the Mandalay Bay Theatre, MAMMA MIA! broke a house record and has played more than 1,900 performances. More than 2 million people have seen the show in Las Vegas.

Throughout the world, MAMMA MIA! has racked up even more amazing statistics. The show has been seen by more than 30 million people worldwide, and 17,000 see it around the world each night. MAMMA MIA! has premiered in more cities worldwide faster than any other musical in history, opening in more than 170 major cities since it made its debut in London in 1999.

Worldwide Success
Besides the two U.S. productions, there are seven other current permanent productions of the musical being performed: London; Barcelona, Spain; Berlin and Essen in Germany; Moscow; Nagoya, Japan; and Seoul, South Korea.

MAMMA MIA! is also currently on two tours. The current North American tour (the musical’s second), which began in Providence, R.I., in 2002, has played in 115 cities with more than 2,450 performances bringing in a box-office gross of more than $283 million dollars. The tour is booked through next April.

Premiering in Dublin, Ireland, in 2004, the international tour has been seen by more than 2 million people. With the ability to cross cultural barriers, the show has delighted audiences in cities as diverse as Johannesburg, South Africa; Tel Aviv, Israel; and Taipei, China. Bookings are already being made for the international tour’s fifth year, which includes a return visit to Vienna, Austria.

Rave Reviews
MAMMA MIA! has not gone unnoticed by the critics.

It was nominated for several Tony awards in 2002, including best musical, best book of a musical for Catherine Johnson, best actress in a musical for Louise Pitre, best featured actress in a musical for Judy Kaye, and best orchestrations for Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Martin Koch.

Enthusiastic praise for MAMMIA MIA! never ends. For example, here’s what one critic from England had to say:

“The fun of this show lies in the skill and wit with which the songs are fitted into the story, not just as decorations, but moving it along, almost as if they had been written for it. Audiences rise to MAMMA MIA! like a thunderstorm.”
John Peter
Sunday Times

Multimedia Sensation
MAMMA MIA! has created a splash on the Billboard Charts as well.

The original cast recording of the musical has consistently sold more than 5,000 a week in the United States alone. Often, it is the number-one selling music album in Las Vegas, and versions of the cast recording have been released in German, Dutch, Spanish and Swedish.

There is a special edition CD/DVD set available that celebrates MAMMA MIA’S fifth anniversary on Broadway. It features music from the original cast album, three bonus audio tracks and a booklet featuring cast photos, including actresses from around the world who have played Donna.

The documentary SUPER TROUPERS: A Celebratory Film from Waterloo to MAMMA MIA! includes unseen footage and scenes from the fifth anniversary celebration of the London production.

Andersson, Ulvaeus and Craymer have written a first-person account of the show’s meteoric rise to success. The book MAMMA MIA! How Can I Resist You?: The Inside Story of MAMMA MIA! and the Songs of ABBA takes readers from the beginning with the songs from the Swedish pop group that inspired it to its current status as the world’s number-one musical.

Enter to Win
For a chance to win four tickets to see the Broadway production of MAMMA MIA! at the Cadillac Winter Garden Theatre in New York, click here. For ticket information, visit www.broadwayoffers.com. AAA members can save up to $45 on tickets.