Musical mamma mia first act sd. What is "Mamma Mia!": the story of one musical

Mamma Mia! - a musical written by screenwriter Katherine Johnson based on the songs Swedish pop group ABBA. The name of the show comes from one of their greatest hits from 1975. Bjorn Ulvaeus and the composers of original music and former members of this famous quartet, were originally involved in the creation of the musical.

Since its debut in 1999, the show has grossed $2 billion and has been seen by over 60 million viewers. In July 2008, the film "Mamma Mia" was released with actors Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, and Stellan Skarsgård. The film earned $609.8 million on a budget of $52 million.

Musical basis

The peak of the glory of the ABBA quartet came in 1972-1982. The group was considered the most celebrated international pop artist of all time. She topped the charts year after year in Europe, Northern and South America, Australia. 22 of the most famous songs are included in the musical, among them: Mamma Mia, Super Trouper, Lay All Your Love on Me, Dancing Queen, Knowing Me, Knowing You, Take a Chance on Me, Thank You for the Music, Money, Money, Money , The Winner Takes It All, Voulez-Vous, SOS. After the London premiere of the musical play in 1999, ABBA's golden hits once again topped the list of the UK's biggest hits.

History of creation

it musical show is the brainchild of producer Judy Kramer. In 1983, she met composers Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson while they were working with lyricist Tim Rice on Chess, a staged song show. Their joint production The Winner Takes It All inspired Judy to translate the group's hits into a theatrical production. As she herself said, "their songs are very suitable for the theatrical stage, they seem to already compose a finished musical."

Bjorn and Benny weren't particularly enthusiastic, but they weren't against Kramer's idea either. In 1997, Judy commissioned Katherine Johnson to write the script for the musical, and in 1998, she hired Phyllida Lloyd to direct the show.

Plot

On one of the many Greek islands, Donna owns a small old tavern with hotel rooms. She is a single mother and her twenty-year-old daughter Sophie is getting married. The musical begins the day before the wedding. Sophie meets two friends who have come to the celebration and tells them her secret plan. She found out who could supposedly be her father. Not so long ago, the girl found her mother's old diary, where she mentioned three short-term novels that followed one after another, as a result of which Donna became pregnant. Wanting to be led down the aisle properly by her father, but not knowing who he was, Sophie sent out wedding invitations to all three of her mother's ex-boyfriends. At the same time, the girl signed Donna. The whole uncomplicated plot revolves around this intrigue.

Donna also meets her best friends: the author of the culinary bestseller and the "lonely she-wolf" Rosie, as well as the three-time married, but again free millionaire Tanya. Once the three of them made up a pop group, and they have something to remember about their turbulent youth.

At the same time, Sam Carmichael, Harry Bright and Bill Anderson, Sophie's three alleged fathers, arrive on the island. They don't realize that Donna didn't invite them. And she, in turn, is in the dark that they were called by a daughter who knows the secret of her mother's long-standing frivolity. Donna is alarmed by the stay of former lovers on the island. After all, as she confesses to her friends, she herself does not know which of them is Sophie's father.

On the last evening before the wedding, Skye, Sophie's fiancé, goes to the bachelor party, and the bride has her own funny company girls gathered in a tavern. At the bachelorette party, Donna, Tanya, and Rosie play out their old repertoire. Gradually, first Sam, Harry and Bill join the sorority, and then the whole brotherhood of Sky's friends. The scene of general fun is the most incendiary, energetic and massive episode of the musical; all the actors of Mamma Mia are involved in it. Each of the three men finally guesses that he is Sophie's father, but is unaware of two other applicants who are ready to accompany the girl to the altar tomorrow.

On the wedding day, there are several scenes with showdowns and reconciliations. And everything ends with a wedding, but not Skye and Sophie (they decided to wait a little and travel a little before), but Donna and Sam Carmichael, whose love, as it turned out, did not subside all the past years.

Debut in London

The production premiered on 6 April 1999 at the Prince Edward Theatre, London's West End. The play was then played at the Prince of Wales Theater on June 9, 2004, where it ran until September 2012, after which the show was presented at the Novello Theatre.

Director Phyllida Lloyd worked well with choreographer Anthony Van Laast, set designer Mark Thompson and the original cast of Mamma Mia: Siobana McCarthy, Lisa Stokke and Hilton McRae. The success of the performance was overwhelming.

Display in North America

The first city to produce the show after London was Toronto in Canada. The musical debuted at the Royal Alexandra Theater in May 2000, where it ran for five years. In the primary cast, there was a change in the actors, and the roles in Mamma Mia were now played by Donna - Louise Pitre, and Sophie - Tina Maddigan. They also played in the first Broadway productions.

Premiere Mamma Mia! in the USA took place at the Orpheus Theater (San Francisco) on November 17, 2000. The play then moved to Los Angeles and Chicago. Finally, on October 18, 2001, the musical opened on Broadway, at the Winter Garden Theatre. Two original Broadway productions were created, directed by Phyllida Lloyd and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast, a full-time Winter Garden company and a touring company. The traveling musical, featuring a new cast of Mamma Mia, has appeared in every major city in the United States, overseas, on other continents, and even on cruise ships. In June 2005, the tour marked its 1000th performance in Las Vegas. The clothes and scenery of this performance are now used in Brazil.

The Broadway stationary production team played 5,773 performances before the show closed. In April 2013, it was announced that the cast of Mamma Mia would be moving from their permanent Winter Garden location to the Broadhurst Theater to make way for a musical adaptation of Rocky. November 2013 to September 12, 2015 the musical ran at the Broadhurst Theatre, after which piece of music was closed.

As of October 2017 Mamma Mia! is the ninth longest-running Broadway musical and first as the longest-running play ever.

World Views

The show's owners staged 11 initial performances, two of which were created for touring companies: international and the United States. Since its premiere in Dublin on September 9, 2004, the international tour has visited over 74 cities in 35 countries, presenting the play to over 5 million viewers. Unforgettable impressions left the game famous actors the musical Mamma Mia, and Helen Hobson especially shone in the role of Donna.

The musical has been translated into 22 languages, original and independent productions have taken place in more than 50 countries, 130 major cities on all six continents. The performances were attended by more than 20 thousand spectators every day, the weekly box office was at least $ 8 million and in eight years exceeded the total amount of 1.6 billion. Over 60 million people saw the show around the world, and it set a record in the history of the theater: for minimum time Mamma Mia Premieres! passed in the maximum number of cities.

The sound recording of the premiere London production received the status of a platinum album in the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Korea. And the status of a gold album was awarded in Switzerland, Germany, New Zealand.

Russian production

In 2006, the show started on October 14 at the Moscow Palace of Youth. The success exceeded all expectations. Every day, playing eight performances a week, the stellar cast of the musical "Mama Mia" in Moscow invariably broke the applause of the audience. During two theatrical seasons, over 600,000 people admired the play presented by Elena Charkviani, Natalia Koretskaya, Andrey Klyuev, Andrey Birin, Elvina Mukhutdinova, Vladimir Khalturin, Dmitry Golovin. And Natalia Bystrova was named the best Sophie in the world by Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson.

Mamma Mia! set several records in the Russian history of musical theaters. In 20 months, almost 700 performances of the play took place. The economic success exceeded any box office returns from previous musical performances. It was the longest-running show of all the previous shows that aired daily.

After a long break from May 2008 to October 2012, the musical again appeared to the audience on the MDM stage. This time, the composition of the actors of "Mama Miya" was partially changed, and the technical performance was somewhat simplified.

Film version

Filming Mamma Mia! started in the summer of 2007. Producer and creator of the musical performance, Judith Kramer, said that after the first performances of the show in London and on Broadway, many people asked if it would be filmed. To protect the musical, Judith was not going to sell the rights to it to anyone. Around 2005, the founding creative team of Mamma Mia! decided that it was time to shoot the film, and launched the process of preparatory activities. It was possible to preserve all the lightness of the incendiary atmosphere, the very essence and spirit theatrical musical which eventually brought the film a huge success.

The idea behind the musical, Judith Kramer, director Phyllida Lloyd, and screenwriter Katherine Johnson are the main creators and driving force behind this project. They created a story about older women who are given a second chance to love, have fun, just be happy. Therefore, the actors for the roles of the film "Mamma Mia" were selected in accordance with the idea of ​​\u200b\u200ba warm, relaxed, somewhat anarchic environment, in which frivolous fun and humor reign.

Main performers

Meryl Streep led the cast as Donna Sheridan, with Pierce Brosnan joining her as Sam Carmichael. Colin Firth (Harry Bright) and (Bill Anderson) play the other two possible fathers of Sophie, played brilliantly by Amanda Seyfried. Two characteristic images of Donna's friends were irresistibly conveyed: Tanya - Christine Baranski, and Rosie - Julie Walters. These actors of the film "Mamma Mia" and the corps de ballet of the Swedish production of the musical, who starred in it, form the main core, soul and mood of the film.

Musical of non-singing actors

Despite the fact that among the applicants for the roles there were many professional singers, including members of the theater productions of Mamma Mia!, almost the entire selection of main characters consists of actors who do not sing and do not dance. This caused some confusion among the reviewers. That is probably why BBC film director Mark Kermode, in an interview on Radio 5 Live, although he admitted that he enjoyed watching the film, called the vocal performance of the actors "drunken karaoke." But the filmmakers sought unprofessional performance of musical numbers from the main actors of the Mama Mia movie. Their goal was the seeming spontaneity, the spontaneity with which, like children in a summer camp, adults have fun. Perhaps, thanks to just such a selection of performers, the film turned out to be so touching, lively and provocative.

Donna singer Meryl Streep took opera vocal lessons as a child, and has had to sing in several films during her diverse acting career. Amanda Seyfried has a pleasant natural voice that fits Sophie's image so well. These two actresses were considered by critics to be quite suitable for participation in the musical film. Pierce Brosnan got the most kicks. The Philadelphia Inquirer called the singing of the former James Bond as donkey nonsense, and The Miami Herald compared it to a wounded raccoon.

And yet the vocal episodes were performed exclusively by the film artists themselves. In addition, many songs begin with a version recorded directly on film set, and only after the first lines the studio recording is superimposed. This technique gave the songs genuine sincerity and the impression of a dialogue with words going from heart to heart.

World recognition

The success of the film version was not inferior to its theatrical prototype. Mamma Mia! was the fifth highest-grossing film of 2008 with a total gross of US$609.8 million. It also reached number ninth as the highest grossing film of all time in the UK. When it was released on July 3 in Greece, the film grossed $1.6 million over the weekend, finishing first at the Greek box office. $9.6 million was the opening day box office in the United States and Canada.

In 2008, Mamma Mia's disc of the film, with a photo of the actors on a bright cover, became the best-selling DVD in the UK, where 1,669,084 copies were sold on the first day of release. In the United States, the DVD's sales exceeded $30 million on its first day of release. By December 31, 2008, Mamma Mia! became the most requested DVD in Sweden, reaching 545,000 copies sold.

Unlike the theatrical musical, the film received several prestigious awards: the Golden Globe in the nominations for the best musical film and for best performance female lead (Meryl Streep). And Judy Kramer was nominated for the BAFTA award for Best British Producer Debut.

The show goes on

On May 19, 2017, filming for the sequel to Mamma Mia! was announced. with the film's scheduled release date of July 20, 2018. Amanda Seyfried will reprise her role as Sophie. Also returning to their roles are Meryl Streep, Brosnan, Firth, Skarsgård, Julie Walters and Christine Baranski. was set to portray a young Donna, with Jeremy Irwin and Alexa Davis playing young Sam and Rosie.

He still has a very rich repertoire. Which of their songs will be used in the film and will the sequel be as entertaining as the story from a decade ago? It remains only to look forward to the return of Mamma Mia! and hope that the filmmakers will not let you down.

Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia!
Musical poster on the Prince of Wales Theatre, London
Genre	musical
Based on	ABBA songs and libretto by Katherine Johnson (English)Russian
Author	Bjorn Ulvaeus Benny Andersson
Composer	Bjorn Ulvaeus Benny Andersson
Company	littlestar
Country	Great Britain
Language	English
Year	1999
Productions	London Toronto Boston New York Australian tour American Tour Las Vegas Utrecht Madrid Antwerp Moscow Manchester Barcelona 2008 Istanbul Oslo 2009 Mexico City 2008 Film Moscow (repeat) St. Petersburg Vein

Description

There are 11 productions of the show: 8 stationary (Hamburg, Las Vegas, London, Madrid, New York, Osaka, Stockholm, ) and 2 traveling (US tour and international tour). [ ]

The Russian premiere of the musical took place on October 14, 2006 on the stage of the Moscow Palace of Youth (MDM). Went 8 times a week for two seasons. In 20 months, more than 700 performances were played, which were attended by more than 600,000 spectators. The closing date was scheduled for April 30, 2008, but at the request of Mamma Mia viewers, the show was extended until May 25, 2008. The musical became the most successful in history Russian show business, setting a record for collections and popularity.

After 4.5 years, after three other musicals, the Mamma Mia show at MDM was resumed on October 27, 2012. Some of the old actors returned to the 2012 production (Elena Charkviani and Natalia Koretskaya as Donna, Andrey Klyuev as Sam, Andrey Birin as Sky, Dmitry Golovin as Pepper, Vladimir Khalturin as Bill, Elvina Mukhutdinova as Rosie), while many new artists appeared (Anastasia Makeeva as Donna, Antonina Berezka and Maria Ivashchenko as Sophie, Vadim Michman and Kirill Zaporizhsky as Skye, Maxim Zausalin and Igor Portnoy as Harry, Eteri Beriashvili as Rosie).

On March 14-16, 2013, special performances were held with a "golden" cast, in which, in addition to Elena Charkviani and Andrey Klyuev, Natalia Bystrova was invited, who played the role of Sophie in 2006-2008, "the best Sophie in the world" according to the members of the ABBA group. In addition, Natalia played several performances in April.

From October 19 to November 16, 2013, the musical was shown in St. Petersburg on the stage of the Music Hall.

Plot

Act 1

The action takes place on the Greek island of Skopelos, where a tavern is located, run by the domineering and demanding Donna Sheridan. Her 20-year-old daughter Sophie secretly sends invitations to her wedding late at night to three men: Sam Carmichael, Harry Bright and Bill Austin ( My dream). On the appointed day, her friends, Ali and Lisa, arrive, to whom Sophie reveals a secret: when she is going to marry her lover Sky, she dreams that the ceremony will take place according to all the rules, and for this she lacks the very smallest thing - to be taken to the altar by her same father, which is exactly the problem, since Sophie does not have a father. 20 years ago, Donna, herself not much older than her daughter, gave birth to her out of wedlock and Sophie answered all the questions only one thing: her father does not know anything about her, because they separated long before Donna realized that she was pregnant. But by chance, Sophie found Donna's diary, which she kept in the year of her birth, and found out that she had three novels in turn that could lead to Sophie's birth - with Sam, Bill and Harry. Sophie finds these people and sends them wedding invitations, but she writes the invitations on behalf of her mother. She does not inform Donna herself ( Honey, honey).

In turn, Donna herself invites the daughter of her old fighting friends - Tanya and Rosie, who were once her backing vocalists in their pop group Donna and Dynamos, to the wedding. Unlike Donna, they have no children, but Tanya has three marriages and a millionth fortune, and Rosie is not married at all, but she is still cheerful and easy-going. Meanwhile, it becomes clear that Donna's hotel business is going through hard times ( money, money, money). Later that day, Sam (an American architect), Harry (a British banker), and Bill (an Australian naturalist) also arrive. Sophie convinces them not to tell Donna she invited them Thank you for the songs). Donna is surprised to see her ex-lovers Mamma Mia) and leaves in tears. She, crying, explains the situation to Tanya and Rosie and they cheer her up ( Chiquitita), trying to convince Donna that she can still be the same as in her youth ( Dancing queen).

Sophie, meanwhile, is confused: she expected to immediately recognize her father as soon as she saw him, which does not happen. She tries to tell Sky how she feels about all this, to which Sky tells her that he will be the only person she will need ( Just give me love). At Sophie's bachelorette party, Donna and Dynamos, wearing their old costumes, decide to shake the old one and perform their songs ( super troupe). Sam, Bill and Harry accidentally walk into a party and the guests persuade them to stay ( Give! Give! Give! (me to meet a man)). Sophie calls the "fathers" one by one to talk, and then interesting details are revealed. It turns out that Bill had a late rich Greek aunt, who, after the birth of Sophie, took Donna to her nurse and, in gratitude, bequeathed to her all her money, with which Donna built the tavern, but the plan of the tavern was sketched by Harry at one time for fun.

Ultimately, when the trio learns that Sophie does not have a father, it dawns on them that one of them could be that father. Although Sophie asks them not to tell Donna anything ( What is this game), each of the three volunteers to lead Sophie to the altar. Confused and therefore very upset, Sophie leaves the party ( Voulez-vous).

Act 2

Sophie has a nightmare in which Beal, Sam and Harry fight for the right to lead her to the altar ( I'm under fire). Sophie is upset and Donna, assuming that Sophie wants to cancel the wedding, offers to deal with all the details. In response, Sophie is offended and informs that her children, at least, will not grow up fatherless. As she leaves the room, Sam arrives to talk to Donna about Sophie, but Donna doesn't want to listen ( Somebody). On the one hand, she hates Sam, because he had an affair with her, being already engaged, because of which they parted almost with a scandal. But now she admits that of the whole trio she loved him the most, after which both admit that they would like to try to renew their former love ( S.O.S.).

At the beach, Harry asks Tanya what the father of the bride should usually do at his daughter's wedding. Tanya explains that her father gave the money. After that, Pepper, a young guy working in Donna's tavern, tries to drive up to her, but she rejects him ( If mom is not averse). Sky finds out why Sophie invited the trio, and, upset that she did not let him in on her plans, accuses her of self-interest: in his opinion, she threw the wedding just to find out who her father is. After that, Sam comes to Sophie and tries to give fatherly advice, describing his unsuccessful marriage ( Knowing everything, knowing us), but Sophie is not consoled. Harry comes to Donna and offers to pay for the entire wedding, after which they reminisce about their romance ( This summer). Sophie comes to Donna and asks to help her put on Wedding Dress. During this, Sophie discovers the sad truth: her grandmother disowned Donna when she found out about the flight, which is why Donna and her daughter settled in Greece. And although Donna says that she does not regret at all that everything turned out this way, Sophie is forced to admit that whoever her biological father was, he did nothing for her that Donna did, and makes a decision: to the altar of her should lead Donna ( slip away from me again).

Sam arrives and tries to talk to Donna again, but she doesn't want to see him and asks to leave. He refuses, to which Donna reminds him how much he broke her heart ( Who wins is right). It turns out they still love each other very much, albeit against Donna's better judgment. Rosie is making final preparations at the tavern (the wedding will be held at the tavern) when an upset Bill arrives, having learned that Donna will lead Sophie to the altar. He states that he is constantly alone, but he is attracted to Rosie, who encourages him to reconsider his views on life ( test me). As the guests arrive, Donna escorts Sophie down the aisle. But before the priest has a chance to begin the ceremony, Donna confesses to the gathering about the presence of Sophie's father. And although Sophie herself admits that she knows this, for which she invited the trinity, she learns another unexpected truth: Donna herself has no idea which of them is her father - the intervals between novels were so short that it was impossible to find out. All participants in the story agree that the father's affiliation does not matter, since Sophie loves all three, and they themselves are happy to be at least one third of her father. Finally, Harry, who has frequently referred to his "other half" throughout the show, admits that it is a man.

Suddenly, Sophie stops the wedding and admits that she is not ready to get married. Sam takes his chance and confesses to Donna that he fell in love with her 20 years ago and called off his engagement. He returned to Greece, but found that Donna was already having an affair with another (with Bill), after which he nevertheless married his original fiancee, had children, but eventually divorced. Donna forgives him Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah). In the finale, Sam and Donna get married and Sophie and Sky go on a world tour ( My dream) .

The musical "Mamma Mia!" viewed by more than 30 million people in 170 cities around the world. The story of a bride, her mother and three possible fathers, sung by the Swedish band ABBA, has been translated into eight languages.

A picturesque Greek island, the charm of an eternal holiday and love, a great cast, catchy songs that you want to sing over and over again - September 25 "Mamma Mia!" out on the big screen.

Starring: Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada, The Watch), Pierce Brosnan (The Thomas Crown Affair, Die Another Day), Colin Firth (Love Actually, Bridget Jones's Diary ”), Stellan Skarsgård (“Pirates caribbean: At World's End, The Exorcist: The Beginning), Julia Walters (Jane Austen, Harry Potter), Dominic Cooper (History Buffs, Top Ten), Amanda Sifried (Mean Girls) , "Big Love") and Christine Baranski ("Welcome to Musicport", "Bonneville").

Working on the film "Mamma Mia!" directed by producer Judy Crymer, writer Katherine Johnson and director Phyllida Lloyd. Previously, they were engaged in the theatrical production of the same name. In addition, producer Gary Goetzman (Charlie Wilson's War, The Polar Express, My Big Greek Wedding) joined them.

ABBA members Benny Andersson (music) and Björn Ulvaeus (lyrics) were executive produced by Rita Wilson (My Big Greek Wedding, My Life in Ruins), Tom Hanks (Charlie Wilson's War, The Brothers in arms") and Mark Huffam ("The Clock", "Johnny the Englishman").

FOREWORD BY JUDY CRYMER

I recently re-watched the beautiful Broadway musical Mamma Mia!. The audience, like many years ago, gave the actors a standing ovation. I immediately remembered the words from the article in the New York Post, published after the premiere in 2001 - "may happiness surround you."

In the story, Sophie is trying to find her father shortly before her wedding. When three men appear on the threshold of the house at once, her life changes, and we change with her. It is worth at least once to look at the screen - and it is already impossible to tear yourself away. You are truly surrounded by joy.

FILM SUMMARY AND MUSICAL NUMBERS

The action takes place on the romantic Greek island of Kalokairi, at the Villa Donna Hotel, owned by Donna (Meryl Streep), her daughter Sophie (Amanda Seifrid) and fiance Sophie Skye (Dominic Cooper).

On the eve of the wedding, Sophie sends invitations on behalf of her mother to three men (the composition "I Have a Dream"), each of whom may be her father. Delighted "dads" rush to the former lover.

At this time, Donna is absorbed in pre-wedding chores. The bridesmaids arrive, and Sophie shares a secret with them: she found her mother's diary and learned about her three lovers (composition "Honey, honey"): businessman Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan), adventurer Bill Anderson (Stellan Skarsgard) and banker Harry Bright (Colin Firth).

Sam, Bill and Harry, who didn't know each other before, meet by chance on the pier. Sam and Harry miss the ferry to the island, and Bill offers to give them a ride on his yacht to reconnect with the woman who broke their hearts twenty years ago.

Meanwhile, on Kalokairi, Donna rejoices in meeting old friends and former members of the Donna and the Dynamo group: clever Rosie (Julia Walters) and wealthy heartbreaker Tanya (Christine Baranski).

Sophie introduces Tanya and Rosie to her fiancé Sky and tells them about the idea of ​​making the island's website to attract tourists. Donna tells her friends about the costs (the composition "Money, Money, Money") and literally flutters over the villa. However, the cracked asphalt in the yard lowers her from heaven to earth.

Sophie meets her fathers and sheepishly explains to them that she sent the invitations, not her mother. She asks them not to show up until the wedding, in order to surprise Donna - to give a meeting with old friends, whom she so often thinks about.

They hear Donna fiddling around in the pantry, about to patch up the hole, and swear to Sophie that they won't reveal her secret. Sophie climbs out the window. A moment later, Donna peeks into the room.

When she finds herself face to face with three former lovers whom she has never been able to forget (composition "Mamma Mia"), she is shocked, and the men embarrassedly apologize for their unexpected appearance. Donna is rock solid - she won't let them stay. She reveals to Tanya and Rosie (composition "Chiquitita") a secret that she kept from everyone - she is not sure who her daughter's father really is. Tanya and Rosie invite Donna to cheer up and sing a song from their youth. Members of the group "Donna and Dynamo" recall the days of their glory and call on the women of the island to freedom (composition "Dancing Queen").

Sophie discovers three men aboard Bill's yacht. Together they go around the island (composition "Our Last Summer") and tell the girl stories about Donna, young and carefree. Upon returning, Sophie finds the strength to tell Sky about everything. She's upset. Sky and Sophie sing a passionate song to each other (the composition "Lay All Your Love on Me"), but Sky's friends try to take him to a bachelor party and interfere with the lovers.

At the bachelorette party, Sophie, Donna, Tanya and Rosie again become members of the Donna and Dynamo group (composition "Super Trouper"). Sophie is delighted to see her mother dressed as a rock star, but at that moment Sam, Bill and Harry appear, making the girl nervous. She decides to talk alone with each of them.

The bride takes advantage of the confusion during the dance (the song "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!") and talks to Sam about his love for Donna. She then questions Harry about whether he ever wanted children. Finally, Bill tells her that the elderly woman who gave Donna the money to buy the villa was his Great Aunt Sophia. Sophie guesses that she was named after this woman. Bill is her father!

Sophie returns to the party. However, her happiness is short-lived - Sam and Harry confess their paternity and are ready to lead her to the altar (composition "Voulez-vous"). Shocked, Sophie cannot tell them the truth, and, discouraged by the consequences of her act, she faints right on the dance floor.

In the morning, Rosie and Tanya reassure a near-despair Donna that they will take care of the men. Donna argues with Sophie in the yard, mistakenly believing that Sophie wants to call off the wedding. Sophie angrily replies that the only thing she wants is to avoid her mother's mistakes and runs away. An upset Donna runs into Sam, who is very concerned about Sophie getting married so early. Both of them understand that they still have some feelings for each other (composition "SOS").

On the yacht, Harry and Bill are discussing the upcoming events, but they are interrupted by Rosie, who is shocked that Bill is preparing breakfast himself! Meanwhile, on the sandy beach, Tanya and young Pepper continue to flirt with each other ("Does Your Mother Know").

Sophie feels that her plans are falling apart and the wedding is just around the corner. She turns to Sky, but he gets angry at her for cheating, so Sophie has to put up with her mother.

Donna helps her daughter put on her wedding dress. The mother recalls her daughter's childhood and how quickly she grew up (composition "Slipping Through My Fingers"). And then Sophie decides that the only parent she knows should lead her to the altar. The hotel staff and bridesmaids take Sophie and Donna to church while Sam languishes in anticipation. He begs Donna to talk to him. She cuts him off, talking about the pain she experienced during their breakup (composition "The Winner Takes It All").

After the ceremony begins, Donna realizes that she can no longer keep her mouth shut. She confesses to Sophie that her father is here... but it could be Sam or Bill or Harry. Sophie, in turn, admits that she invited them. Men assure that they will be happy to share the burden of fatherhood such beautiful girl for three persons. The surprises continue - Sophie tells Sky that they should postpone the wedding and travel. At this point, Sam asks Donna to be his wife.

She agrees (composition "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do")!

During the wedding feast, Sam sings a song he has loved for 21 years for Donna ("When All is Said and Done"), getting Rosie to pay attention to Bill ("Take a Chance on Me"). All couples confess their love to each other, and at that moment a fountain of the goddess of love Aphrodite beats from a crack in the courtyard of the villa.

At the end of the story, Sophie and Sky say goodbye to the island and go in search of a new life full of hope and desire (composition "I Have a Dream").

BEFORE FILM PRODUCTION

I have a dream:

Development of "Mamma Mia!"

The story of Mamma Mia! began in the 1980s when producer Judy Kreimer worked with Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus on their first post-ABBA project, Chess. Two singers simply shocked her. "These are the people who wrote 'Dancing Queen', one of the best pop songs of all time," Crymer explains. Inspired by the theatricality of their songs, she wanted to make a musical based on them, in a completely unexpected format.

She was inspired by the song "The Winner Takes It All" (sung by Meryl Streep in the film). The original title of the song was "The Story of My Life" and was one of the band's brightest songs (it reached the top ten of the charts in the US).

Despite assurances that the musical would not be a tribute to the band's memory or history, Andersson and Ulvaeus were initially skeptical of the idea. So Crymer began to persuade them to provide their songs for the project. In 1995, they finally agreed. The producer had to provide them with a script that was strong enough for the songs to fit into it. In 1997, Crymer met playwright Katherine Johnson, whom she considered talented and sensitive enough for the job.

Crymer asked her to consider the fact that ABBA's songs are divided into two distinct groups - more youthful, playful and innocent like "Honey, Honey" and "Dancing Queen" and more mature, philosophical and emotional like "The Winner Takes It All" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You". Crymer was convinced that these songs contained a story that could be of interest to many generations.

In addition, Crymer felt that the theme of the film should be a wedding - the very poems of Ulvaeus suggested this. “I told Katherine that she could forget about the songs. This is just a source, the plot should be strong and without any songs. And that's exactly what she was able to achieve."

Johnson began by reading all the lyrics to ABBA's songs, building the core of the story, and choosing only those songs that would logically complete the story. However, she felt that she needed to consider the tempo of the songs so that it correlated with the tempo of the action. Not an easy task.

The result is a warm and inspiring story about two generations of women, about first and second love, not to mention friendship and finding yourself. Johnson and Crymer felt that the story had a universal resonance that would appeal to people of all genders, ages, and nationalities - just like ABBA's music.

After receiving the script, Crymer began looking for a director. She offered the job to renowned theater and opera director Phyllida Lloyd. "It was a musical written by Benny and Bjorn - although they didn't know it," says the director.

Bjorn Ulvaeus collaborated extensively with Lloyd, Kreimer and Johnson. The production team included choreographer Anthony Van Laast, production designers Mark Thompson (stage and costumes), Howard Garrison (lighting), Martin Koch (music consultant and orchestrator), and Andrew Bruce and Bobby Aitken (sound engineers). The production of the musical continued in London for over a year.

“Everything changed along the way, we removed some songs and replaced them with new ones,” Ulvaeus recalls. – Katherine knew all our songs from the catalog by heart. The ground rule was that we shouldn't change them, which makes me wonder how we managed to weave them into the story."

Benny Andersson joined the project only during the first rehearsal and was blown away by how great everything turned out. “It seems to me that the main advantage of this musical is that what you see exceeds even the wildest expectations,” he says. – Our songs are very good, but the plot of the musical is also great. The way our old poems fit into the plot is simply amazing. I'm a big fan of Katherine Johnson."

The show premiered on 6 April 1999 at the Prince Edward Theatre, London. This was a good omen, because on April 6, 1976, ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest. The performance was a huge success. The American premiere took place in November 2000 at the Orpheus Theater in San Francisco. In October 2001, the musical was released on Broadway, raking in $27 million in advance ticket sales (one of the theater industry's records). The show received five Emmy nominations in 2002. In February 2003, the premiere took place in Las Vegas. The thousandth performance was held there in June 2005.

The performance entered the history of the theater, becoming an international phenomenon in the entertainment industry. A total of 20 productions of Mamma Mia! around the world. Currently, there are nine performances in the world, collecting more than eight million dollars a week. The musical was watched by 30 million viewers. Every evening, 17,000 people go to it. The show grossed over $2 billion overall. The play reached many cities faster than any other musical in history. Since its London premiere, it has been released in 170 major cities around the world.

Here is how Crymer explains this phenomenon: “Regardless of the composition and age of the audience, they somehow identify themselves with the heroes of the musical. They share this experience with them. These songs have magical qualities."

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION OF THE FILM

Money money money:

Creation of a creative team

Shortly after the musical's London premiere, several companies expressed interest in turning the musical into a film. Playtone, the company of Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, partnered with Judy Crymer's Littlestar to produce the film. “I remember that when I was watching the performance, I caught myself on the fact that already at the twelfth minute I was standing and singing aloud,” recalls Tom Hanks.

However, Crymer was in no hurry to turn the stage musical into a screen musical. Mamma Mia! I was begging for the screen,” she says, “but first I had to bring the show to the point where it would be possible to make this transition.” She felt that the show had not yet exhausted itself on stage, and the team should have focused on its premieres in different countries.

In 2003, after the musical was released on the stage in Europe, America, Australia and Asia, Crymer felt that the time had finally come for a film adaptation. She contacted Gary Goetzman and secured Playtone's approval to produce the film.

“The most important thing for us as filmmakers was to capture the tone, energy and spirit of the musical,” says producer Goetzman. “We knew that if we did this, we would make an amazing film.” For Goetzman and Kreimer, this meant, above all, keeping the original formula. "Our goal was simply to bring their vision to the big screen," he continues.

From the very beginning of the project, he believed that the film should enhance the sense of joy that the musical gives. “In movies, you get to know the characters and set a certain tone for the audience,” he muses. “You can enhance the brilliant elements of a play that is so loved by millions of viewers around the world.”

Lloyd and Johnson were ready to join the project. Mamma Mia! has always been a movie,” says Lloyd. The action of the musical takes place on a picturesque Greek island. This story just begged for the screen.

Johnson was ready to transform her play into a screenplay. “It was an opportunity for me to delve deeper into the emotional core of the story,” she explains. - When I wrote for the stage, I simply called the dance number - “dance number”. For the screen, I had to fully describe what happens during this dance number. So it was a double work."

Features of the transformation stage play into musical romantic comedy influenced Johnson's work. For example, the screen version of the musical allowed her to move the episode "Dancing Queen" from the bedroom to the harbor. “We were able to break out of the closed space of the stage into the air,” sums up the screenwriter.

"We got the chance to show our characters arriving on the island," Crymer adds. “The stage is very limiting, but in the film we were able to show the space and the journey of the characters.”

The musical was filmed at Pinewood Studios in London and Greece. Lloyd even did pre-production with the cast of the stage musical. “I needed to work out the structure of the songs, to understand if the stage choreography needed to be completely changed,” she says. “And besides that, I myself took the camera in my hands to understand when it should be moved and when not.”

“I was a firm believer that the camerawork for each song should be different,” Lloyd continues. - It was supposed to have a different effect on the audience - depending on the requirements of the plot. I wanted to go inside the stages, because in the theater I was always kind of outside. So I was watching the scene from Sophie's point of view."

For producer Crymer, this was an opportunity to scale up the show, both visually and thematically, with the active help of the ABBA members. “The involvement of Benny and Bjorn was very important to us,” says Kreimer. “They worked on the music, recorded it with the actors, and it was very cool.”

“It was a lot of fun, especially working with such well trained actors. An amazing experience,” says Andersson.

“We have enjoyed a lot. The actors did exactly what we needed. It was just amazing,” echoes Ulvaeus.

Crymer and Goetzman agreed that the same people who directed the musical would work on the film. "There's a quintessence of what we call the 'Mamma Mia!' factor," Crymer says. “And we managed to agree among ourselves what exactly should be transferred from the stage to the screen.”

Cinematographer Harris Zambarloukos, production designer Maria Djurkovic, costume designer Ann Roth and make-up artist Tina Earnshaw also brought their passion and vision to the project. The combination of their efforts gave the film its signature look. “When choosing people, we proceeded from who we would like to have next to us on vacation,” says Lloyd. “When you work so fast and under such stress, you need to have understanding people around.”

Look at me:

Film casting

After the selection of the film crew was completed, the filmmakers began to select the actors. Crymer always said that the real stars of the play are the songs, but after she looked at the actors gathered for the reading, she took her words back.

The incomparable Academy Award-winning Meryl Streep, known for her dramatic and varied roles in countless films and considered one of the greatest American actresses. Mamma Mia! - Streep's first film musical, although she has already sung in the films Postcards from the Edge of the Abyss and The Companions.

"We've always wanted Meryl Streep to play the lead," says Crymer. - And it was very cool when she immediately agreed. We knew that she had seen a show on Broadway a few years ago and she wrote a very nice letter to the actors, telling them that she was happy to be a part of Mamma Mia! And we kept this letter as schoolgirls.”

“We dreamed that Meryl would agree to play Donna,” says director Lloyd. - We knew that she sang, we knew that she wanted to play in the musical. It combines all the qualities that are needed for this role. She is one of those unique actresses who can laugh and cry for the whole world. That's exactly what we needed for Mamma Mia!, and we got it."

Streep actually saw the show in New York. “It was a real joy,” she says. – Immortal songs sound in it, which, as it were, enter your body. When I had to learn them, I realized that I already knew them by heart. Amazing melodies."

Streep also liked the fact that "Mamma Mia!" was made by women. In addition, this role required serious physical preparation from her. She had to climb a building 12 meters high and sing the song "Mamma Mia!" While on the roof. In addition, she sang "Dancing Queen", doing a whole series of tricks - sliding down the railing or jumping off the pier into the sea.

“They told me I had to climb onto the goat shed and sing 'Mamma Mia',” Streep laughs. - I asked myself - how high should the building be? But it turned out that it was just a wall. I had to do a Spider-Man stunt and got back into shape pretty quickly. It was in the first week, and I thought: “Hmm, I better train more often.”

Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgård were chosen to play the three father candidates. "These three actors have incredible warmth and humor, as well as an understanding of what 'Mamma Mia!' is all about." and what it requires, says Lloyd. “Each of these actors managed to show their way from complete uncertainty to freedom.”

Pierce Brosnan enthusiastically accepted the invitation to the role, but he was horrified at the thought that he would have to sing and dance. “I was just paralyzed with fear,” says Brosnan. I have never been so nervous about work. In the end, I just gave myself to this process and got great pleasure. It’s very cool to sing and express your emotions through songs.” He admits that it was his nerves that ultimately helped him: “Fear gives you the strength to do something important and significant. Months of worry helped me."

"In the film" Mamma Mia! there is a special magic, - says Colin Firth, who was cast as Harry Bright. “She can reach everyone.” Firth acknowledges that there is something about the musical that “call you to give up your selfishness, as people do at the end of the show. There is a certain tenderness about these middle-aged men who find more in their lives than they thought. The best part was working with the cast. We all enjoyed it unspeakably."

“Phyllida has an amazing ability to notice moments that at first glance do not seem important, with a special texture, or to use an angle of view that can make this or that moment more interesting,” the actor says of the director. “It’s very economical and precise direction.”

The trio is completed by Stellan Skarsgard, who starred in Pirates of the Caribbean. He was attracted by another component of this film - dance. “I haven't done this for thirty years,” the actor admits. “But I really liked it, and I tried to get as much pleasure out of it as possible. The whole experience was liberation and joy for me.”

Skarsgård found it amusing that in this film, men played minor roles that are usually played by women in films with men in the lead roles. “Our psychology was of no interest to anyone! he laughs. “We are like chicks in this picture!”

Julia Walters, famous star British stage and film, and Tony winner Christine Baranski, one of the most famous musical actresses who starred in the movie Chicago. They play the pragmatic Rosie and the remarried Tanya.

Walters accepted the role without any hesitation. “I really like the musical,” she says. “It has irony and a clever plot.” Walters has experience singing songs, so she was more afraid of having to dance. “I trampled the whole floor at home when I was training,” the actress laughs.

Baranski has this to say about his interest in making Mamma Mia! the musical: “What I love the most is this amazing relationship story. For me, Meryl and Julie, the biggest challenge was getting that old female friendship on screen. But I was easy with them - they are amazing women. The filmmakers were looking for actors who could capture the spirit of the musical."

Baranski has experience singing and dancing on stage and on screen, but it was not an easy task for her either: “ABBA songs are considered very easy to sing - perhaps because they are so affectionate - but in fact they are much more difficult. They require a certain style. Benny and Bjorn are amazing musicians and have very complex harmonies and rhythms. And they know very clearly what they want.”

For the roles of Sophie and Sky, the filmmakers chose Amanda Sifried and Dominic Cooper. “Finding the right actress to play Sophie was a challenge,” says Kreimer. – She had to be mischievous and innocent at the same time, cheerful and able to sing well. Amanda was perfect in every way; she is our perfect Sophie."

Sifried is known to viewers as Karen in " mean girls and Sarah Henrickson in " Great love» HBO channel. She already had experience singing and dancing on screen. Sifried herself says that being chosen for the role of Sophie is "every girl's dream."

The trial process was very intense. Many young actresses auditioned for the role of Sophie, but Seifrid impressed everyone with her vocals. “Amanda has a special warmth, she just radiates light and youth,” says Lloyd. Besides that, she has a beautiful voice. Benny and Bjorn even asked her to sing songs that weren't in the film. From the very first notes of her song, we realized that this is our Sophie.

During the audition, Seifrid saw the play in Las Vegas and was blown away. “It was just fantastic,” she recalls. Like others, she admits that ABBA songs are immortal. In addition, Sifried considered it a great honor for herself to play in partnership with Streep: “She is simply incredible. She knows very well how people react to her presence, and did everything to make us feel comfortable. I learned a lot while working with her."

Groom Sophie plays young British actor Dominic Cooper, who starred in films such as The History Boys and Hitting the Top Ten. The contact that arose between the two actors was palpable even during the auditions. "Dominic is just adorable," says Crymer. He can sing and the girls love him. He's perfect for the role of Skye."

"An amazing ensemble cast, and an amazing project," says Cooper. “The fun started during the audition and didn't end until the end of filming. Singing is just an explosive thing. I admire singers because when you sing, it's very hard to hide behind all the acting stuff. Singing unlocks your full potential."

"The director was able to connect with the actors amazingly," continues Cooper. “Most of us needed to be led, because this is brand new territory. It was hard to find a director who knew his job better than she did."

There was a surprisingly positive atmosphere on the set of the film. “For me, as a producer, it was very important that each person felt like a member of the team,” concludes Crymer. “I believe in this vibration, in these positive feelings that go from the screen to the audience.”

It stars Phillip Michael and Chris Jarvis (best man Skye Pepper and Eddie), Rachel McDwell and Ashley Lilly (Sophie's girlfriends Lisa and Ali), a Greek choir, and about forty men and women as deer and chicken in supporting roles.

The cast and crew members were hand-picked. It's time to start principal photography in the studio and on the luxurious Greek island where anything can happen.

Give me all your love

Music "Mamma Mia!"

Transferring the story from stage to screen was not easy, and not just because Andersson wanted each actor to perform their own vocal routines. Music director Martin Lowe, who joined the Mamma Mia! in 1999, recalls: “I raised the bar quite high. While working on the play, I understood well what was required of singing actors. It's a high level of style and skill."

Lowe attended the auditions for the actors. "I was brought in to cater for Benny's music," he says. “And I wasn’t ready for any compromises.” During the casting process, Lowe worked in Stockholm with Andersson and members of the band ABBA, scoring the film. The actors from the Swedish show were involved in the process - they recorded backing vocals for numbers such as "Voulez-Vous" and "Gimme! Gimme! Gimma!"

After the actors were approved for the roles, Low began working with them. His task was to give them certain keys to perform and give them confidence. He used several opportunities for recording songs - pre-recording, so that the actors only moved their lips in the frame, as well as live recording right on the set.

This is how executive producer Mark Huffam describes the process: “The tradition of musicals is pre-recording, and then mime work on set. We had amazing actors, so they had the opportunity to sing live. We gave them this opportunity. We used to record the big dance numbers in advance, but on the more personal songs, we preferred to record live.”

The actors agreed with this scheme. "It was very interesting to record songs with Benny and Bjorn, and I preferred to pre-record," says Streep. - On the set, I realized that my voice in the pre-recording sounded completely different. So it was great to record live as well, because the energy and the physical side of acting dictated the way I would perform the song in a way that I could not have imagined during pre-recording.”

Firth agrees with her: “It is very difficult to sing before you have worked your character. The song is part of the story, so the performance should be part of the image. You either have to bring the song up to your acting, or vice versa."

"Martin has given me tremendous confidence," Brosnan says of the music director. – He came to California; we sat in my office all day and just sang songs. Over the next few months, I just listened to them when I drove the kids to school. When it was time to record, I went into the studio and saw Benny and Bjorn and Phyllida and Judy...and I knew it was time. They said that I sing very well. They liked what I did, it was very easy. And I was not alone - there were Stellan and Colin, who were also horrified.

“I'm most proud of Dominic,” Lowe laughs, speaking of the young actor, who himself admits he panicked before meeting the music director. - He tried so hard. We worked every song with him, line by line, and I tried to show him how a pop singer should sing."

Stellan Skarsgård also really enjoyed working with people from ABBA. “They are very calm – real Swedes,” he says of Ulvaeus and Andersson. “They were very supportive, so I sang quite confidently.”

Lowe, Ulvaeus, Andersson and Lloyd also attended Amanda Sifried's recordings. “It was real freedom, and there was delight and some kind of surrealism in it,” she says. “They didn’t guide me too much. I was able to get the tone and sound they wanted right away, so they just let me go.”

Low notes that the songs Sifried was supposed to sing are quite complex, such as the complex passages in "I Have a Dream". "The line 'I believe in angels' gets paused, and the place in the text and in the melody is quite difficult for it," he says. “Some audition actresses just couldn’t grasp it. Thank God we found Amanda, who just got on with it. When she came out of the audition, the cameraman and sound engineer said, "That's Sophie."

“Amanda immediately evokes sympathy and a desire to protect her,” says director Lloyd. "She's very sweet and that's the most important thing about Sophie."

For all the actors, it was quite an exhausting process. The filmmakers were ready to take their hats off to the actors. “ABBA's music is quite complex,” says Rita Wilson. – The songs are quite difficult to sing, they are very melodic and with amazing harmonies. You never get tired of listening to them over and over again. They have a kind of magnificence. You can completely relax, feel young and stupid.”

Dancing Queen:

Film choreography

Choreographer "Mamma Mia!" Anthony Van Laast was aware that moving a musical from stage to screen is a very complex undertaking. “The challenge for me was to tie the choreography to the story and characters, so that it felt improvised and spontaneous,” Van Laast says. “The choreography in the film is very structured and varied.”

In the early stages of film production, Van Laast spent a lot of time rehearsing with Lloyd and her troupe of dancers, trying to figure out what numbers would work for the film, how many dancers would be needed, where the cameras should be, and so on. Van Laast retained some of the original movements, but a lot had to be changed. There are twice as many dancers in the film than on stage.

In order to make this transfer without any problems, Van Laast suggested that the dancers from the play be used in the film. This helped to save time and teach the dancers of the main roles.

Along with his assistants Nicola Treherne and Tim Stanley, who have been with the show for many years, Van Laast spent several weeks of rehearsals before filming and spent every day during filming training and "warm-ups".

Stanley and Treherne were very helpful in the process of staging difficult numbers. “Tim was on set supervising the dance,” Van Laast notes. – Nikola was an intermediary between the dancers and me, and I was sitting at the monitors. If I realized that something was not adding up, I immediately made adjustments with the help of Nicol. That way we always got the perfect picture.”

Baranski worked in stage and screen musicals for many years, however, she too became nervous and took additional dance and movement lessons. “Everyone will be nervous when they have to sing and dance,” she says. - This genre requires a lot. You need to follow a certain rhythm, raise your legs in time or move your arms.”

“When I found out I got the part, I immediately started exercising, taking Pilates and Jazz classes, stretching and strengthening my flexibility,” she continues. “I had to take ballet lessons in London.”

“I even managed to shame my twenty-year-old kids,” Streep laughs. - FROM dance parties they come exhausted."

“I don't have many dance routines, but they are amazing dances,” continues Walters. “I would dance for months with these amazing partners. I really enjoyed dancing with both Philip and Stellan.”

Van Laast says he really enjoyed turning actors into dancers: “They bring something very real to these movements. When you work with dancers, it's just perfection. The actors make the dances alive and personal, attached to their characters. I learned a lot in terms of how to bring out the character through dance."

Our last summer

Filming Mamma Mia!

After weeks of recording music and vocals, six weeks of costume design, make-up and dance rehearsals, filming began in July 2007. They were held at Pinewood Studios in London. The set was designed by artist Maria Djurkovic, giving the filmmakers an opportunity to expand on the scope of work that Crymer, Lloyd and Johnson achieved on stage.

Đurković started from the script, not from the stage musical. “On stage, you mostly rely on your imagination,” she explains. “In film, it was important to achieve a certain theatricality, but I needed to create a world that was convincing and believable.”

It was difficult enough to build a small village on the site, keeping in mind that it should fit into the scenery of location shooting on a Greek island. “Each element had to radiate carelessness and joy,” says Djurkovic. After all, this is a musical. Soulful, happy, cheerful and frivolous. But at the same time, the audience had to believe that all this was really happening.

“Part of the transition from stage to screen was the design,” says producer Goetzman. “We needed to figure out how to turn stage design into screen design. Maria did a fantastic job and I think people will love her natural styling."

Crew members visited Greece in search of a location to film Villa Donna. Both Lloyd and Djurkovic decided that this should take place in a renovated building. Djurkovic has thought through every detail of the design.

After nine weeks of filming at Pinewood Studios, the crew moved to Greece. First there were five days of filming on the island of Skiathos. Then they moved to Skopelos for two weeks, and then to the mainland, to Damukhari, for another five days. All these places were chosen after traveling through 21 Greek islands.

Local residents actively helped the filming process. It was necessary to transport a lot of equipment, adapt to the peculiarities of the weather, work at sea, cope with clouds of insects, place 210 people of the film crew on small islands. “We had to change a lot along the way,” says Lloyd. “Constantly adapt to geographic and weather conditions.”

The director traveled extensively in Greece when she was seventeen years old. “When shooting on the islands, you have to be prepared to change a lot along the way,” she says of the challenges of shooting on location in those locations. We just fell in love with some of the islands. However, in the process, you find that your favorite beach is “eaten up” by the surf, and you have to come up with something else. That means you have to be ready for anything.”

Some of the most beautiful places became the backdrop for the action "Mamma Mia!" For example, the old port on the island of Skiathos, where Sam, Bill and Harry first meet, and where Rosie and Tanya board the ferry. Skiathos is the smallest of the Sporades group of islands located in the northwest of the Aegean Sea. This is the most well-groomed of the islands of the archipelago. It has many beautiful sandy beaches where some scenes of the film were filmed. From the mountain on the eastern part of the island, a stunning view of the bell tower of St. Nicholas. It is from there that Sophie sends wedding invitations to Sam, Bill and Harry.

The luxurious island of Skopelos, also part of the Sporades archipelago, became the location for the main shooting in Greece. On the beach of Castani with its blue-green waters, Tanya sings "Does Your Mother Know", Sophie and Sky sing "Lay All Your Love on Me", and Donna and the three men say goodbye to Sophie and Sky with "I Have a Dream".

The mountains near the rocky beach of Glisteri on the island of Skopelos became the site of Sophie's wedding. On the rock of the peninsula, Sophie, Bill, Harry and Sam sing the song "Our Last Summer" and jump into the clear sea waters.

The magic of cinema helped successfully fuse together scenes shot in the studio and on location. The "Dancing Queen" number starts in Donna's bedroom and then moves to the courtyard (this was filmed in a studio) and then outside of Donna's Villa. The episode continues in the village - in the thickets of olive trees, in the harbor and on the pier. These scenes were filmed in romantic Damukhari on the east coast of Greece.

The wedding guests arrive at the top of a mountainous peninsula an hour from the city of Skopelos, where Donna sings "The Winner Takes It All" to Sam. The church where Skye and Sophie get married was located on the top of a hundred-meter mountain above the sea, next to the monastery of St. John near the city of Glossa.

“In these places, you want to walk and walk,” Goetsman sums up. “We all had a lot of fun and peace from the beautiful locations where we filmed.”

"Super Trooper":

Costume design

The filmmakers invited film crew costume designer, Academy Award winner Anne Roth. She was faced with the task of making the costumes not only beautiful, but also realistic. She had, of course, seen the musical on stage, but she was asked not only to use Mark Thompson's stage costumes as a starting point, but to give them more life.

The designer sent her sketches to Phyllida Lloyd, who liked them very much. Most of the preparatory work was done in New York, and some of the costumes were made from fabrics she bought from the strangest places. “There is a costume in the film that I bought in the Dominican Republic. I like to feel that I can go to strange places and buy things there. I don't order supplies over the phone, I buy everything myself."

Roth researched each character's origins (from the look of their apartments to their earnings) and designed their costumes to the smallest details. For example, she imagined how three potential fathers must feel when they receive invitations to a wedding in Greece at the last moment, and how they throw certain things into a suitcase. “Realism is my second nature,” says Roth. “I would say that their clothes are real. Old suitcases, backpacks, new or old suits and all that.”

According to Roth, the heroine Meryl Streep should not have given of great importance your clothes. “I think that was the case,” she says. Donna said to her friend from Athens: “My daughter is getting married next month, I need a dress and I don’t want to look like old lady". And then this friend came to her with two dresses, from which Donna chose one.

At some points, the costumes look more luxurious, for example, in the episode with the performance of the Donna and Dynamo group, when they sing "Super Trouper". Roth decided that the clothes for this occasion must be just crazy. “These are stage costumes,” she explains. - I studied the costumes of the groups of the seventies, including ABBA. Such things cannot be worn when going to the store.

"She's a real artist with a wild imagination," says Lloyd of Roth's creative approach to work. – She was able to perceive my views on stage costumes - that they do not need to be sewn and put in boxes a few months before filming, take pictures of them and so on. Roth was inspired, feeling that our heroes are waiting to be dressed in these costumes."

After fourteen weeks of filming, they returned to Pinewood Studios to film the final sequence, with all cast members singing "Waterloo" and "Dancing Queen". Thus ended the shooting.

Streep reflects on why the story resonated so much with her and what kind of reaction she expects from viewers: "This is a film about the mistakes of the past - about regrets, dreams, hopes, happiness - about your life."

"We all have a favorite song," Brosnan says of the song's popularity and timeless lyrics. - Each of us listened to the ABBA group; everyone danced to ABBA; everyone sang ABBA songs. These songs live in the hearts of each of us."

The last words about this project should be said by three women whose dreams crossed continents - producer Crymer, screenwriter Johnson and director Lloyd ...

“We rebranded ABBA with completely unexpected results,” Kraimer says. "It's an accessible, versatile lyric that each of us can identify with."

“Despite the fact that the characters have not changed, we got to know them better,” says writer Johnson. – Songs and overall look of “Mamma Mia!” became like more. We really moved to this Greek island and lived the lives of these people.”

“This story is like a fairy tale,” says the director. “It touches on something very important in the hearts of viewers – self-discovery, lost parents, forgotten children. It's an epic story."

Universal Pictures in collaboration with Relativity Media presents Playtone/Littlestar's Mamma Mia! Starring: Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan. The film also starred: Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Julia Walters, Dominic Cooper, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski. Music and lyrics: Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, based on ABBA songs. Music Consultant: Becky Bentham. Musical director: Martin Lowe. Choreographer: Anthony Van Laast. Costume Designer: Ann Roth. Editing director: Leslie Walker. Production Designer: Maria Dzhurkovic. Cinematographer: Haris Zambarloukos, BSC. Executive Producers: Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks, Mark Huffam. Producers: Judy Crymer and Gary Goetzman Screenplay: Katherine Johnson Directed by: Phyllida Lloyd.

The musical "Mamma Mia!"

80s of the last century. At the peak of popularity, the Swedish group ABBA. The band's songs are a real musical breakthrough. Incredibly honest and sincere - they had a special sound. The theatricality of the poems made it possible to create a real performance. The musical "Mamma Mia" became one of the cult performances that turned the opinion of POP culture. On this page you can read Interesting Facts, history of creation, summary and popular productions of musical performance.

Characters	Description
Donna	Innkeeper in Kalokeri, Sophie's mother
Sophie	Bride, Donna's daughter
sky	Handsome fiance Sophie
Harry Bright	Former lovers of Donna, possible fathers of Sophie
Bill Andersen
Sam Carmichael
Rosie	old friend
Tanya	Millionaire, comrade
Pepper, Petros, City dwellers

Summary

A tavern located on a Greek island is preparing for a wonderful event - the wedding of Sophie Sheridan and Skye. The girl believes that the ceremony must take place according to tradition. In her dreams, a picture is drawn of how she walks in a snow-white dress. Her father leads her down the aisle. The only thing is, the young girl does not know who her real dad is. Donna, her mother, raised her daughter on her own, without anyone's help. She never told stories about meeting the girl's dad. It is only known that she did not tell him about the appearance of the child.

Sophie does not give up trying to find her father. She comes across a diary that Donna kept a year before her birth. It turns out that she met three men at once at the same time. As a result, a young girl sends these people an invitation to a wedding, without saying anything about her act to her mother.

A few days before the celebration, the ex-Donnas arrive on the island as a threesome until they realize what a surprise awaits them. Sophie talks to everyone for a long time, trying to find out the truth. But she doesn't come out. Meanwhile, Donna suspected something was wrong. When she sings a song with her girlfriends at a bachelorette party, she makes eye contact with each of the three possible fathers. Donna is confused.

The day of the ceremony arrived. Sophie is led down the aisle by her mother. What happens next is something no one expected. Donna confesses that she doesn't know who her daughter's father is. Sophie thanks everyone present and apologizes as she doesn't want to get married now. She invites Sky to travel the world before taking such a responsible step. The groom is not upset and agrees to the proposal. Donna was proposed to by one of her exes and she said yes. Everything is over. happy end!

A photo:

Interesting Facts

• Soloist Anni-Frid Lingstad financed the production of the famous show.

• In 2008, a film adaptation took place in Stockholm, which was also visited by the legendary band. It should be noted that all the actors sang on their own. The only thing in the movie was fewer songs than in a musical.
• The first version of the name was called "Summer Night in the City".
• Kramer was inspired to create the production of the musical " cats by Andrew Lloyd Weber, with whom she collaborated for several years.
• There is a less well-known film adaptation in which the participants in the production were filmed.
• A dramatic love story as well as the band's autobiography were offered as initial plots. But they were immediately rejected by the members of the Swedish team.
• As wedding march a slower version of the song "Dancing Queen" was used.
• The date of the premiere was not chosen by chance. After all, it was on April 6, 25 years ago, that the group managed to take first place at the Eurovision Song Contest.
• In fact, the island on which the heroes live is fictional.
• Filming took place in London and Greece.
• On Broadway, the show closed in 2015 after a 14-year run. This is one of the longest performances in terms of production time.

• Especially as a leitmotif connecting the scenes, the song “Summer night city". It was supposed to sound right after the Introduction. But it was decided not to include this number in the program. Nevertheless, part of the work can be heard before the vocal number "Victory with the one who is right" and in general in the part of Donna.
• Mamma Mia has grossed nearly $2 billion worldwide since its debut in 1999.
• The name of the musical comes from the song that made the band famous.
• The show could only develop thanks to Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Anderson, who are the writers of the group's hits.
• The production became the record for visiting, for the entire time the show was seen by more than 60 million viewers.
• In the film, the sound was recorded directly on the set, which is rare for cinema. After all, usually the sound is recorded later in the studio.

History of creation

The idea to create a similar musical performance based on popular music ABBA came from a young Englishwoman, Judy Kramer. In the early 70s, she worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

During the creation of the play "Chess", in which the music was composed by musicians from the ABBA group, namely Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. There they met and became friends. After several years of dating, Judy became actively interested in the work of the group. She decided that their songs must be fixed in culture by creating a musical.

Need to come up with interesting story and pick up musical numbers. With such an idea, she turned to Bjorn, to which he replied that if the idea and the script were really interesting, then he would participate in the process.

Fortunately, the poetry and music of the songs had a theatrical basis and a clear dramaturgy. Judy found more and more new projects, but they were rejected. Gradually, the group members cooled to own creativity, and the creation of such a performance seemed senseless to them. Until the Golden Hits album was released, which instantly sold millions of copies. This flattered the team, and they decided to start work. She turned to the best television screenwriter and playwright of our time, Katherine Johnson. Women quickly found a common language. As a result, she soon offered the very option that became known to the whole world.

By 1998, the final name had been coined. The selection of actors and soloists began. The requirements were high: excellent pop voice, good choreographic data and acting talent.

For the premiere, an excellent choreographer was found, whose name was Phyllida Lloyd. She did not immediately agree to stage movements for the musical, as she was very doubtful about this type of art. Her main activities were operas and dramas. But after talking with Judy, she still decided to take a direct part.

Bjorn took a big role in the creation. He not only corrected the lyrics, but also, together with Martin Cociu, created completely new arrangements of hits.

The Prince of Wales Theater was chosen as the premiere location. The stage was ideal for solving all the technical problems associated with changing the scenery, lighting and musical equipment. Moreover, after the cold reception of the play "Chess", it was decided to first test "Mamma Mia" on a smaller stage, and only then make a launch on Broadway.

It was decided to decorate the performance in blue and white shades to emphasize the Greek atmosphere. The script was significantly changed for the premiere date.

On the day of the premiere, there was a full house and everything went at the highest level. ABBA Group received fame and recognition.