'Mamma' touring Down Under

Tix for tuner sell briskly in Brisbane, Sydney

By MICHAELA BOLAND

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Some of the Sydney principals involved with the ABBA tuner 'Mamma Mia!'s' run in Australia.

 

SYDNEY -- ABBA tuner "Mamma Mia!" has commenced a national tour after a boffo year at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre. Produced in Australia by Judy Craymer, Richard East and Bjorn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal and Dainty Consolidated Entertainment, tuner’s 441-performance Melbourne season was the longest since "Phantom of the Opera" played two-and-a-half years at the same theatre until 1992.

Starring Anne Wood, Rhonda Burchmore and Lara Mulcahy, show commenced a 10-week Brisbane spell July 5, ahead of a Sydney stint commencing September 18. Associate producer Louise Withers attested 76% of tix for Brisbane sold before opening night and 15,000 tix for Sydney sold in the first two days on sale.

Despite Sydney’s Lyric Theatre being 500 seats bigger than Melbourne’s 1,500 seat Princess, Withers "would like to replicate the (longevity of the) Melbourne season and hopefully beyond that."

New cast for the Sydney season, which was launched July 8, includes Kellie Rode, Simon Gleeson and Bruce Roberts.