‘Here we go again’

Complete with ABBA music, a wedding and three potential fathers, “Mamma Mia!” will be in town this weekend for five performances Friday through Sunday.

“It’s one of those shows that’s an absolute phenomenon,” said Doug Booher, director of the IU Auditorium. “Audiences everywhere find this show to be inspirational, energetic and a great way to have fun with the family.”

Though the show was just at the IU Auditorium in 2006, Booher said this will be a great opportunity for students and community members who weren’t in Bloomington at the time to still get a chance to see the show.

“I’m really excited for so many of our students to experience this,” Booher said.

This ensemble also includes IU alumna Stephanie Lynge, who graduated from IU in 1992 as an individual major in musical theater.

“We’re really proud and excited to have an IU alum who is going to be part of the cast we’ll see this weekend,” Booher said.

“Mamma Mia!,” based off the songs of ABBA, was the first musical that incorporated a band’s work for the foundation of the work, Booher said. Even though ABBA first emerged in the 1970s, the band’s music is still widely known today.

“ABBA has, obviously, a huge following, even for young people today who haven’t grown up with these songs,” Booher said. “Whether it was their parents listening to them or hearing them on TV commericals, the songs of ABBA have definitely had a resurgence.”

Audiences of all ages can identify with the characters of “Mamma Mia!,” which Booher said is one of the keys to the show’s success.

“Whether you are a 19-year-old sophomore at IU or a staff member who is also a grandparent, there is part of this story that you will be able to identify with,” he said.

The musical follows a mother, Donna, and her 20-year-old daughter Sophie as they prepare for Sophie’s wedding. Things take a turn when Sophie, unbeknownst to her mother, sends out wedding invitations to three men, all of whom could be her father.

“The story line is exciting. It’s compelling,” Booher said. “There’s a level of suspense to the show. Sometimes a musical will just have a situation where people break out into song for no good reason. In ‘Mamma Mia!,’ the music is so cleverly interwoven into the story.”

Sophomore John Stangel said he is excited to see the show.

“I’m a big fan of ABBA and recently saw the movie, so the only thing left on the list to do is see the live performance,” Stangel said.

In addition, Stangel said he is especially looking forward to the performance of the song “Voulez Vous.”

“I’m a big fan of ‘Voulez Vous’ because it lets me use my three weeks of French and makes me feel like I know French fluently,” Stangel said.

Freshman Amy Greene will see the show this weekend with a friend. Greene has seen the movie and also saw the show on stage when she was 13.

“My friend and I thought it would be funny,” Greene said, referencing the end of the show when a lot of audience members tend to get up and dance. “It’s kind of funny to watch.”