Mamma Mia! makes its mark on Kamloops

Dec 7, 2016 | 3:38 PM

KAMLOOPS — The curtain has closed on Western Canada Theatre’s production of Mamma Mia!, a show that enticed both seasoned patrons of the arts and newcomers to the theatre.

It was one of WCT’s best selling shows, with more than 10,000 people in attendance throughout its 13-day run at Sagebrush theatre. 

While it didn’t top the attendance numbers from last year’s production of Mary Poppins, Mamma Mia! did bring out a different crowd.

“In terms of numbers, there were slightly fewer for this,” said artistic director James MacDonald, “but for Mamma Mia! there were a lot more adults that came. Mary Poppins, of course, appeals to a lot of kids, so in terms of our school audiences or matinee audiences where people brought their children, more people came to Mary Poppins, but in terms of overall sales and sales to adults, Mamma Mia! was the most popular.” 

The production had people dancing and singing along with the music of ABBA. MacDonald is now hoping the popularity of this most recent show will keep people coming back to the theatre time and time again. 

“There’s a lot of interest that’s generated by a show like this in the community for all the other things that we do at Western Canada Theatre, and we just want to capitilize on that,” MacDonald said. “One of the messages that we’re all trying to get out is that theatre is not an elitist activity. Theatre is an activity for everyone and you can have a great time at the theatre, and you can go through a range of emotions at the theatre, but that’s the great thing about a show like Mamma Mia!, is that it really shows people how much fun theatre can be.”