"Mamma Mia!" Brings Fun and Energy to the 2018 Mountain Play
This year's Mountain Play (the 105th!) is Mamma Mia!, the hit Broadway musical featuring the music of ABBA. We had a chance to see the preview performance this Saturday, and it's a fun and funny high-energy romp that will have you singing "Dancing Queen" all the way home.
With more ABBA songs than you can possibly imagine, Mamma Mia! is directed by Jay Manley (who also directed West Side Story and Beauty and the Beast on Mt. Tam in 2016 and 2017), musical direction is by Jon Gallo leading a live 9-piece band, and the creative choreography is by Nicole Helfer and Zoë Swenson-Graham.
Taking place at a taverna on a Greek island run by Donna Sheridan (Dyan McBride), Mamma Mia! follows Donna and her daughter Sophie as they get ready for her wedding. Unbeknownst to Donna, Sophie has invited the three men who could possibly be her father in an effort to find out the identity of her real dad. Who will it turn out to be? You'll have to see it to find out!
Dyan McBride, Jennifer McGeorge, and Mountain Play veteran and Marin music favorite Susan Zelinsky delivered standout performances as old friends Donna Sheridan, Rosie Mulligan, and Tanya Cresham, as did Sophie Sheridan as Carrie Brandon and Tyler McKenna, Sean O'Brien, and David Schiller as her three potential dads.
The colorful and creative sets really made you feel like you were on a sunny island in the Aegean (the sparkling clear sunny day helped, too), and the clever rotating structures really made the most of the stage space. I'm always amazed at the innovative sets and scenery at the Mountain Play and how they manage to get so much out of their outdoor space.
Even if you don't think you're that familiar with ABBA, you'll probably recognize most of the songs, and by the end of the show you'll be singing them yourself. The production truly brings a fun energy to the Mountain Play stage, and there's even an extended song and dance performance at the end that will have you cheering.
As always, it's a wonderful live musical theater production for everyone in the family, and a classic Marin County experience. My kids and I look forward to going to the Mountain Play every year. Great tickets are still available for all Mountain Play performances: May 20 and 27 and June 3, 9, 10, and 17. All shows begin at 2 pm, but there's plenty of pre-show entertainment for everyone so make sure you get there early. The June 9 performance will the Mountain Play's first-ever sing-along!
If You Go
General seating tickets to the Mountain Play are $45 for adults, $40 for seniors 65+, $30 for youths 14–20, and $20 for children 4–13; children 3 and under are free. Reserved seats are also available. Order tickets online here or by phone at (415) 383-1100. You can also buy your tickets at the door; the box office opens at 9 am. Performances start at 2 pm and end around 4:30 pm, but of course you'll want to get there early for maximum fun.
When you go, make sure you're prepared for any kind of weather. Even if it's foggy in Mill Valley, the Rock Springs and amphitheater area can be above it all and bathed in bright sunlight. Of course it can be windy and foggy, too. There are some areas of shade in the amphitheater, but they're available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Hats, sunscreen, and layered clothing are a must at the Mountain Play. Make sure you bring plenty of drinking water, too, although drinking fountains and drink concessions are available at the play. Amphitheater seats are all stone blocks, so stadium cushions, pillows, blankets, and other forms of padding are a good idea, too. You can rent pads at the amphitheater, and reserved seats have pads in place already.
The Mountain Play takes place at the Cushing Memorial Amphitheater in Mount Tamalpais State Park. While you can park up at the amphitheater, which is located near the Rock Springs trailhead and parking area, parking there is very limited, and fills up early in the day.
The traditional way to get to the Mountain Play is to take one of the shuttle buses ($5; purchase with your tickets to the play) up from Tamalpais High School or the Manzanita Park-and-Ride Lot (near the Buckeye restaurant). Buses leave approximately every 15 minutes starting at 10 am, and will take you back down the mountain after the play.
For more information on how to get to there, read our Insider's Guide to the 2018 Mountain Play. You can learn more about the Mountain Play at www.mountainplay.org or (415) 383-1100.
