Paramount sets cast, creative team for September’s ‘Mama Mia’

This fall, 30,000+ Chicago musical theater fans will boost those stats even higher when Aurora’s Paramount Theatre kicks off its sixth Broadway season with a fresh, sparkling new production of the feel-good international phenomenon that turned musical theater on its ear.

Directed by Paramount Artistic Director Jim Corti with musical direction by Tom Vendafreddo and choreography by William Carlos Angulo, Paramount’s can’t-miss, catchy take on Mamma Mia! promises a ton of fun with the show’s touching story of a happy family wedding, while cataloguing one famous ABBA pop hit after another, including “Dancing Queen,” “Take a Chance,” “SOS” and “Knowing Me, Knowing You.”

Previews start September 7. Press opening is Saturday, September 10 at 8 p.m. Regular performances continue through October 30. Show times are Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Thursday at 7 p.m.; Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $44 to $59.

Even better, there’s still time to take advantage of Paramount’s “Buy Two Shows, Get Two Shows Free” 2016-17 Broadway subscription offer. For less than the cost of a ticket to one show downtown, patrons can see three more Broadway-quality musicals: Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Nov. 23, 2016-Jan. 8, 2017), Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Feb. 8-Mar. 19, 2017) and Jesus Christ Superstar (Apr. 19-May 28, 2017).

Four-play packages start as low as $88. The rewards are ample – four amazing, Broadway-quality musicals, at one of the most majestic theaters in the Midwest, all for less than the price of one show downtown.

The Paramount Theatre is located at 23 E. Galena Blvd., in the heart of downtown Aurora, which is rife with affordable parking options, plus new restaurants popping up left and right for pre- or post-show dining options.

For subscriptions, single tickets and information, go to ParamountAurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or visit the Paramount box office Monday through Saturday,
10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and two hours prior to evening performances. Mamma Mia! is rated PG.

Mamma Mia! is the story of Sophie, a 20-year-old bride-to-be preparing for her wedding. Unbeknownst to her mother, she finds her mom’s diary and reads about her love-filled summer 20 years before with three different men. Sophie is convinced one of them is her father, and she’s determined to find out who. She sends a wedding invitation to each of the men, forging her mother’s signature on each note. When the men arrive the day before the ceremony, Donna, her mom, is shocked at their presence while Sophie is elated to finally meet her father. Quickly, each of the men realizes why they’ve been invited, and each is ready to walk their daughter down the aisle.

Principal cast members are Amy Montgomery as Donna Sheridan, Kiersten Frumkin as Sophie Sheridan, Sara Sevigny as Rosie, Jennifer Knox as Tanya, Jeff Diebold as Sam Carmichael, Steve O’Connell as Bill Austin, Michael Gillis as Harry Bright and Ryan McBride as Sky. 

Mamma Mia! also features Aubrey Adams, Heather J. Beck, Nick Cosgrove, Aaron Patrick Craven, Devin DeSantis, Adam Fane, Michael Ferraro, Allyson Graves, Kayla Kennedy, Ron King, Christopher MacGregor, Courtney Mack, Mallory Maedke, Jake Morrissy, Travis Porchia, Sara Reinecke, Haley Jane Schafer, Danni Smith, Janelle Villas and Robert Wilde.

Jim Corti (director) was hired in 2011 to be the first-ever Artistic Director in the Paramount’s 80+ year history. He was instrumental in launching Paramount’s inaugural Broadway Series and directed and choreographed Paramount’s first self-produced Broadway show, My Fair Lady, which played to rave reviews. Corti’s 2013 Paramount production of Fiddler on the Roof was a smash hit, and his Miss Saigon was the only musical to make the Chicago Tribune’s Top Ten Shows of 2013. RENT in 2014 was a critical and box office success, followed by consecutive productions of The Who’sTommy and Les Misérables which collectively garnered five Jeff Awards for Paramount in its first year of eligibility, including Best Production – Musical – Large for Les Misérables and Best Director – Musical for Corti. He also staged Paramount’s 2015-16 opener, Oklahoma!, and closer, West Side Story, both critically acclaimed. Before Paramount, Corti was a seasoned Broadway veteran, appearing in the New York casts of Ragtime, A Chorus Line and Candide and national tours of Urinetown, Cabaret and Bob Fosse’s Dancin’. Career highlights over three decades include being the only director in Chicago to have two productions at the same time in the Chicago Tribune’s list of 10 Best Shows in 2009 – Drury Lane’s Cabaret and Writers Theatre’s Oh, Coward! He remains the sole honoree to have garnered a Jeff Award as an actor (in Marriott’s Grand Hotel), a choreographer (Drury Lane’s Singin’ in the Rain) and director (Paramount’s Les Misérables, Drury Lane’s Sweet Charity and Northlight’s Blues in the Night).

 

William Carlos Angulo (choreographer) made his choreographic debut with Paramount last season with West Side Story. He also served as assistant choreographer and ensemble member in Paramount’s The Who’s Tommy and Oklahoma!and performed in In the Heights, 42^nd Street and Mary Poppins. Elsewhere, he choreographed Far From Heaven last season for Chicago’s Porchlight Theatre and was assistant choreographer of Billy Elliott: The Musical at Drury Lane Theatre. Performance credits also includeIrving Berlin’s White Christmas, Beaches, Sunset Boulevard and Singin’ in the Rain at Drury Lane, Brigadoon at the Goodman and Mary Poppins and Cats at Marriott.

Tom Vendafreddo (music director and conductor) is helming his seventh consecutive musical at Paramount, preceded by In the Heights, Mary Poppins, The Who’sTommy, Les Misérables, Oklahoma!, A Christmas Story, The Musical, Hairspray – The Broadway Musical and West Side Story. Other credits include Company and Sweet Charity (Writers Theatre); On the Town and Godspell (Marriott Lincolnshire); Road Show and Shrek: The Musical (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); The Spitfire Grill (BoHo Theatre – Jeff Nomination for Music Direction); and Pump Boys and Dinettes (Metropolis Performing Arts Center). Regional credits include RENT (San Diego Musical Theatre), Odyssey (Old Globe Theatre), Forever Plaid (Chestnut Fine Arts) and It’s a Wonderful Life: A Radio Play (Cygnet Theatre). As a cabaret artist, Tom has performed in Chicago, New York, San Diego and Melbourne. In 2014, he became the Founding Artistic Director of the Chicago Artists Chorale, a choral ensemble of working professionals in the Chicago theatre community. He received a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Music Education from Eastman School of Music and a Master of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from San Diego State University.
                                                            

Paramount’s production team for Mamma Mia! also includes Trent Stork, associate director; Kory Danielson, assistant music director/associate conductor; Kevin Depinet, scenic designer; Matt Guthier, costume designer; Greg Hofmann, lighting designer; Christopher Ash, projection designer; Adam Rosenthal, sound designer; Katie Cordts, wig, hair and make-up designer; Amanda Relaford, properties manager; Amber Johnson, stage manager; and Cody Westgaard, assistant stage manager.

In true Paramount tradition, the nine-memberParamount Orchestra will play the full, original Broadway orchestrations for Mamma Mia!, which features music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of ABBA, with some songs by Stig Anderson. The book is by Catherine Johnson, with additional material and arrangements by Martin Koch.

More than 60 million people have seen Mamma Mia! since its debut in 1999. Its Broadway incarnation closed in September 2015 after a 14-year run, effectively making it the eighth longest-running show in Broadway history. A film adaptation starring Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, Stellan Skarsgård and Julie Walters was released in 2008.

Paramount’s 2016-17 Broadway Series is sponsored by BMO Harris Bank and The Dunham Fund. Broadway Series Orchestra Sponsor is Rush-Copley Medical Center. Broadway Series Lighting Sponsor is ComEd. Broadway Series Costume Sponsor is Gerald Kia. Mamma Mia! is also sponsored by Kevin Fitzpatrick.