Mamma Mia! Teaches That Empowered Women Empower Women

Donna Sheridan, Rosie Mulligan, and Tanya Chesham-Leigh are three empowered women we can all learn from. They couldn’t be any more different: different lifestyles, different personalities, different views of love and life, and yet, they are there for each other through thick and thin, without judgment.

These three fictional characters from the stage-musical Mamma Mia! teach us that empowered women empower women. The best friends, and former bandmates, reunite once again in Kalokairi, a Greek island paradise where Donna runs a hotel and her daughter, Sophie, is getting married.

The hit musical Mamma Mia!, originally conceived by Judy Craymer, and based on the book by Catherine Jones, premiered in the U.S. on Broadway in October of 2001, shortly before I moved to the U.S. When Mamma Mia! Came to the big screen in 2008, I had been a single mom for 4 years, and I identified so much with Donna.

Donna Sheridan is a woman in charge, self-reliant, feisty, and will do anything for her daughter.

She’s raised a strong daughter who is determined to choose her own path, to be the woman she wants to be. As I raise my daughters on my own, go to school, and run my business, I have learned that empowered women raise empowered women, whether the father is present or MIA.

The storytelling in Mamma Mia! is particularly special to me because it features the music by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA. I know all the lyrics to every single ABBA song and so do my daughters, because I have made sure to pass on my love for ABBA to them.

The invitation to go see the Brick Road Theater’s production of Mamma Mia! (directed by Katharine Quinn with music direction by Isaac Leaverton) filled my heart with joy. I had been going through heartache and this is just what I needed.

The musical numbers include some of my favorite ABBA hits:

I have a dream
Honey Honey
Money Money Money
Thank you for the music
Mamma Mia
Chiquitita
Dancing Queen
Lay all your love on me
Super Trouper
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme
The name of the game
Voulez-Vous
Under Attack
S.O.S.
Does your mother know?
Our last Summer
Slipping through my fingers
The winner takes it all
Take a chance on me
I do, I do, I do

That is a lot of music (the perfect playlist, really) and I sang along, danced, and cried with every song. The vocals were superb, the live orchestra was remarkable, and I was impressed with the strong cast ensemble.

The veteran actresses playing Donna and The Dynamos are an example of women empowerment themselves, because they are friends in real life and support one another in this journey. They looked absolutely natural, comfortable and at ease with one another on stage.

Patty Breckenridge, Donna, is returning to the stage after a 3 year hiatus, and she blew my mind with her voice and stamina.

Donna sings most of the songs in Mamma Mia! and is on stage most of the time, and after giving such a powerful performance, she still had energy to play and chat with Eliana and empower her to keep working on her YouTube channel.

Even though Donna is clearly the star of the Mamma Mia! tale, you couldn’t help but adore Cara Statham Serber as Tanya, and Sara Shelby-Martin as Rosie. They were quite pleasant off-stage, as well, and I was humbled to have a chance to thank them for giving my family the best two-and-a-half hours we’ve had in a while.

It was opening night, October 19th, which also marked 6 years of my wedding day, after 8 years as a single mom and sole parent. Even as recent as when I received the invite to Mamma Mia!, I didn’t think I’d still be married on my anniversary, but with the strength my daughters inspire, the wise advice of my true friends, the support of my family, and the help of a gifted marriage counselor, Taylor Bare and I made it another year and now have a glimpse of hope to make this work.

I learned so much about myself during our separation, and I learned about empowering friends who would do anything to help you through hard times, to remind you who you are when you are sinking in despair, and to show you you’ve got this – whatever this may be. Most importantly, it becomes quite clear who simply cares about your marital status (Frenemies!) versus who really cares about your happiness. 

Empowered women build each other up, instead of trying to tear one another down. It doesn’t take much to positively empower other women, to inspire, and lift as we climb.

Sometimes we feel that we need to fit a standard of perfection to be qualified as an example of strength to another woman, but just by liberating yourself and telling your story, you create a platform to empower women everywhere.

Like Maya Angelou once taught us, “each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.”

When we succumb to the disempowering voices in our heads and focus on what shames us, we also influence women of all ages, especially those closest to us.

In Mamma Mia!, Sophie, expertly played by Morgan Maxey, invites three of her mother’s former boyfriends to her wedding, hoping to find her father, and, in her words, to find who she is.

One of my favorite scenes in Mamma Mia! is when Matt Holmes, who plays Sky, Sophie’s husband-to-be, reminds her that her identity comes from within.

And speaking of the men in Mamma Mia!, Donna’s exes (and Sophie’s possible fathers) performed to perfection: Dan Servetnick plays Harry, Kris Allen is Sam, and Josh Hepola is Bill.

They brought in many laughs for sure, but there was great heart and depth, as well, and evoked sweet emotions.

I couldn’t stop crying during the mother-daughter scene as Sophie gets dressed for the wedding.

As my daughters grow and start dating I am inevitably feeling that they’ll soon build new lives away from me and it’s so hard to let go. So many powerful and girl power moments in just one show!

I assure you’re going to love each minute of Mamma Mia! and the finale will set a fire within your soul.

We’ve been singing ABBA songs non-stop, because it’s a feel-good musical for the whole family!

How do you empower other women? I look forward to your comments below!

If you’re in the Dallas – Fort Worth area, and especially in Plano Texas, I recommend you bring those you love to Mamma Mia! at Courtyard Theatre (1509 H Ave in Plano, Texas). Mamma Mia! Will play October 19 – 28, 2018 and tickets are only $30!

Follow Brick Road Theater on social on Instagram, Instagram, and Instagram, and call (972) 467-7519 or visit brickroadtheatre.org for showtimes and tickets.

[ela]

Show photos courtesy of Jason Anderson, Pendleton Photography.