Mamma Mia, here goes Medicine Hat Musical Theatre again

By Chris Brown on August 30, 2018.

cbrown@medicinehatnews.com @MHNBrown

When you have a chance to bring a worldwide phenomenon to Medicine Hat you don’t waste any time.

That’s why the board of directors at Medicine Hat Musical Theatre jumped when the rights to “Mamma Mia!” became available.

It was an unusual but worthy step for MHMT, says Lyn Weisgerber, an MHMT board member and in charge of show promotions. Where normally a producer-director team approaches the show committee with a show, this time the board took the lead.

“The rights became available and the board decided to purchase the rights ahead of time and then open it up to directors/producers coming in,” Weisgerber explained. “There’s lots of excitement for it.”

“Mamma Mia!” has been a smash hit musical around the world since premiering in London in 1999. A movie version was released in 2008 and a sequel came out this summer.

“Mamma Mia!” may be the standout of the season but the rest of the shows can’t be overlooked. Weisgerber calls the four productions all “big, high-intensity shows.”

It begins in late-October with “Young Frankenstein,” running from Oct. 26-Nov. 10.

“There’s quite a buzz in the theatre because it’s really, really funny lyrics,” said Weisgerber, of the show based on the Mel Brooks movie. She adds the live theatre version is quite different.

“The Broadway show just tells it in such a funny, fun way and I know audiences are going to absolutely surprised.”

It’s the Halloween-season offering from MHMT but it’s not scary, said Weisgerber. “It’s a hilariously funny show.”

The annual Christmas pantomime is “A Christmas Carol,” set for Nov. 30-Dec. 15.

Weisgerber said it’s based on the classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge but done with the regular pantomime twist.

“Mamma Mia!” follows in 2019, running from Feb. 15-March 2. “The Last Five Years” wraps up the season from April 4-13.

“The Last Five Years,” with only two cast members, is popular among the younger crowd, Weisgerber said.

“It’s a five-year relationship that goes from the end to the beginning,” she said. “It’s done from the perspective of the male and the female in the relationship and how they saw it progressing and ending.”

Casting is done for the first two, but auditions for “Mamma Mia!” are coming Sept. 23 and 25. Auditions for “The Last Five Years” have yet to be announced.

Season ticket packages, $155 plus GST, go on sale Saturday at mhmtheatre.com. Weisgerber said people would be smart to buy a season package to avoid having to beat the clock when the sure-to-be-popular “Mamma Mia!” go on sale later on. Tickets for individual shows will go on sale closer to the show dates.

“Mamma Mia!” will likely add to the number of sold-out shows MHMT has racked up in recent years.

“Our community, they just keep surprising us. They show up and buy more than one ticket even,” Weisgerber said. “We have a really good support system. They share our posts on Facebook, they bring new people in to the theatre and we’re just constantly surprised by how great our Medicine Hat community is and what a great following we have.”

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