Mamma Mia at Sundance

One of my very favorite summer traditions is to see a musical at the Sundance Mountain Resort performed in conjunction with the UVU Theatre Department.  I have been coming for years and I absolutely love it!  The setting could not be more beautiful with the smell of the pine trees and the fresh mountain air.  It is so nice to feel a cool breeze when the temperature is so hot in the valley.  They always do a really great job with whatever show they are performing and this year is especially fun because the show is Mamma Mia!  How can you resist listening to the music of Abba up in the mountains?  Sophie Sheridan (Rylin Gardner) is getting married and wants to have her Dad walk her down the aisle.  The only problem is she doesn't know who he is!  After reading her mother's diary, she finds three possibilities:  Sam Carmichael (Shawn Stevens), Bill Austin (Matt Dobson), and Harry Bright (Sanford Porter).  Without telling her mother Donna (Dianna Graham), she invites all three of them to her wedding and, when they all show up, chaos ensues!  I really enjoyed Graham as Donna and Stevens as Sam and they are especially strong in their songs together, including "One of Us," "SOS," and "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do."  Jocelyn Hansen, as Rosie, and Kerilyn Johnson, as Tanya, are also a lot of fun and I enjoyed their renditions of "Chiquitita" and "Dancing Queen."  Hansen steals the show with her performance in "Take a Chance on Me" with Dobson and hoots of laughter greeted their antics!  I thought that Gardner faltered a little bit as Sophie in the beginning of the show but she finished strong, particularly with "I Have a Dream" at the end.  The choreography in this show is fantastic and I particularly liked it when the male ensemble danced with fins in "Lay All Your Love on Me" and I thought the dream sequence in "Under Attack" was quite innovative (it's one of my favorite numbers in the show).  The costumes are a hoot and feature lots of spandex and sequins!  I had so much fun watching this show and I may or may not have sung along with some of the songs!  I highly recommend it.  Mamma Mia runs at the Eccles Outdoor Theatre on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through August 10 (go here for tickets).