Vista, CA (May 1, 2018) – After becoming the ninth longest-running musical with a 14-year Broadway run, and 15 years of touring productions, Moonlight Stage Productions is pleased to open its 38th season with the San Diego Regional Premiere of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus’ smash musical hit Mamma Mia! based on the songs of ABBA. Due to popular demand, Moonlight has added an additional performance for June 19. Tickets for the added show are on sale to subscribers now, and to the public on May 8. Subscriptions and single tickets for all other performances are on sale now at moonlightstage.com, or by calling (760) 724-2110. Ticket prices range $17 – $57 with discounts for seniors, students, and military.
“We are thrilled to present the regional premiere of this global hit,” stated Producing Artistic Director Steven Glaudini. “Mamma Mia! resounds with audiences because of the show’s infectious music and dazzling dance numbers. It is the longest-running jukebox musical in Broadway history, which is no surprise since it features ABBA’s best-known songs. It’s the perfect opener to our season.”
Moonlight’s production will feature Bets Malone as Donna Sheridan, Katie Sapper as Sophie Sheridan, Barbara Schoenhofer as Tanya, Karyn Overstreet as Rosie, Robert J. Townsend as Sam Carmichael, Lance Arthur Smith as Bill Austin, Jason W. Webb as Harry Bright, and Nicholas Sloan as Sky.
Mamma Mia! is helmed by Director and Choreographer John Vaughan with Musical Director and Conductor Lyndon Pugeda. Rounding out the artistic team is Lighting Designer Jean-Yves Tessier, Sound Designer Jim Zadai, Costume Coordinators Carlotta Malone, Roslyn Lehman, and Renetta Lloyd, Properties Designer Bonnie Durben, and Stage Manager Stanley D. Cohen.
Seen by more than 50 million people around the world, Mamma Mia! centers around Donna Sheridan, an independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island who is about to marry off Sophie, her spirited daughter who she has raised alone. For Sophie’s wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends – practical and no nonsense Rosie and wealthy and multi-divorcee Tanya – from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos. But Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own.
On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, Sophie brings back three men from Donna’s past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled.
Inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA’s songs from “Dancing Queen” and “S.O.S.” to “Money, Money, Money” and “Take a Chance on Me” – not to mention the title song, Mamma Mia! is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends, and new family found.
Moonlight Stage Productions’ summer schedule continues with the San Diego Regional Premiere of Disney’s Newsies (July 18 – Aug. 4), and the Moonlight premieres of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Aug. 15 – Sept. 1), and Chicago (Sept. 12 – 29).
For more information, visit moonlightstage.com or call (760) 724-2110.
CALENDAR INFORMATION
Mamma Mia!
June 13 – 30, 2018
Gates open at 6:30 p.m.
Curtain at 8:00 p.m.
Tickets: $17 – $57
Moonlight Amphitheatre
1250 Vale Terrace Drive, Vista
Phone: (760) 724-2110
Web: moonlightstage.com
Come have the time of your life at the ultimate feel-good musical that has entertained more than 54 million people worldwide! This smash hit show combines ABBA’s greatest hits, from “Dancing Queen,” “S.O.S.,” “Super Trouper,” “Take a Chance on Me,” “The Winner Takes It All” and more into an enchanting tale of love, laughter, and friendship. Writer Catherine Johnson’s sunny, funny tale unfolds on a Greek island paradise. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past to the island they last visited 20 years ago. What unfolds is a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget! San Diego Regional Premiere production.
LUNA CAFÉ AT THE MOONLIGHT
The former Artisan Café has been rebranded as Luna Café and the theatre welcomes new operator Kitchens for Good, a non-profit organization that provides innovate solutions in workforce training, healthy food production, and social enterprise. Patrons will experience new décor and amenities at the upgraded café which offers pre-show dining outdoors where glimpses of the sunset can be seen before patrons take their seats for the show. The Café also offers delicious intermission snacks to all theatregoers including beverages.
PICNICKING AT THE MOONLIGHT
One of the most unique theatre-going experiences found anywhere is Moonlight’s lawn seating, allowing patrons to bring their own picnic suppers into the theatre and picnicking before the show. Lawn ticket holders receive a chair as part of their ticket upon entry to the theatre.
MOONLIGHT AMPHITHEATRE
1250 Vale Terrace Drive, Vista
Gates open for picnicking and dining 90 minutes before curtain. Non-alcoholic beverages and food may be brought into the Amphitheatre. Parking is free.
ABOUT MOONLIGHT STAGE PRODUCTIONS
Winner of several San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Awards, including Best Resident Musical for 2017’s In the Heights, Moonlight Stage Productions is the cultural arts program of the City of Vista. Named “San Diego’s #1 Outdoor Theatre” by readers of ‘San Diego Magazine,’ Moonlight Stage Productions provides high caliber Broadway musical theatre each summer in the 1800-person capacity Moonlight Amphitheatre, owned and operated by the City of Vista. Audiences attend from San Diego, Southern Riverside, and Orange Counties making the Moonlight a regional destination for Broadway musical theatre. The Moonlight’s season of Broadway musicals is produced in the picturesque Moonlight Amphitheatre, a summertime tradition experienced by more than one million people. Throughout the decades, the Amphitheatre has seen numerous transformations, but nothing as dramatic as the total reconstruction of the stage house in 2008- 2009. With a grand re-opening in June 2009, a state-of-the-art venue was revealed, which included modern stage and audience facilities. Since then, the Amphitheatre has extended its entertainment offerings with the addition of concerts and other special events held throughout the year through Moonlight Presents and ClubM.
