the mommy avenger

I have to tell you something first: Colorado is home for me. I grew up there before life took our family to New Jersey and then to Utah, so any excuse to get back to my home state feels a little like a hug. This week, that excuse came in the form of sequins, platform boots, and an entire stage full of ABBA — Mamma Mia! opened at Pikes Peak Center in Colorado Springs this week, and friends, this is exactly the kind of pure, joyful, can’t-stop-smiling show that summer was made for.

If you are anywhere near Colorado Springs before this run wraps on June 21, you need to know about this one. Let me tell you why.

What Is Mamma Mia! About?

For anyone who has somehow avoided this show for the last twenty-five years (no judgment, we all get there eventually), here is the setup: Donna Sheridan runs a small taverna on a sun-soaked Greek island, having raised her daughter Sophie on her own. On the eve of Sophie’s wedding, Sophie does something she has never told her mother about — she digs up Donna’s old diary, narrows her possible father down to three different men, and invites all three of them to the wedding without telling her mom any of it.

Cue chaos. Cue old secrets coming out. Cue Donna’s former bandmates, Rosie and Tanya, showing up to relive their glory days as backup singers. And cue every single one of these moments being carried by an ABBA song, because that is the whole delightful gimmick of this show, and somehow, twenty-five years in, it still works every time.

The Music and the Energy Are Off the Charts

If you grew up with ABBA playing in your house, your car, or your wedding reception, this score is going to do something to you. The live band backing this production does not hold back — every number lands with the kind of full, bright, can’t-help-yourself energy ABBA built an entire career on.

What struck me most is how the show uses the music to actually move the story forward instead of just decorating it. A tense mother-daughter moment becomes a song about love slipping through your fingers. A reunion between old friends turns into an excuse for the whole stage to become a dance floor. By the time the title song hit in the first act, the entire theater was clapping along without anyone telling them to. It is no wonder critics have called this thing one of Broadway’s biggest parties for over two decades now — that energy is real, and it is contagious.

The Performers Brought the House Down

Donna gives the role real heart underneath all the comedy — there is a vulnerability in her quieter numbers that sneaks up on you, especially as the first act winds down. Sophie is a delight, all nervous energy and hope, and her chemistry with Donna in their mother-daughter scenes is what gives this show its emotional center.

And then there are the Dynamos. Rosie and Tanya are two of the funniest performers I have seen on a touring stage in a long time, and every scene the three of them shared together had the audience howling. As for the three possible dads, each bring something completely different to the table, and watching them try to navigate this very strange reunion is half the comedy of the whole show. This is a tight, talented ensemble, and it shows in every harmony and every dance break.

Get Ready to Dance in Your Seat

Here is what nobody fully prepares you for: by the time the curtain call rolls around, it is not really a curtain call anymore. The cast comes back out in full sequined, platform-boot ABBA glory for an encore that turns the entire theater into one giant dance party. People who spent the whole show sitting politely in their seats were up, clapping, singing along, and yes — dancing in their seats and in the aisles. I watched a grandmother a few rows ahead of me throw her hands in the air like she was twenty-five again.

That is the magic of this show. It does not just entertain you. It gives you permission to let loose a little. If you need a night that reminds you joy is allowed, this is it.

Mamma Mia! Is Playing at Pikes Peak Center Through June 21 — Get Your Tickets Now

This is a very limited run, friends. Mamma Mia! is only at Pikes Peak Center in downtown Colorado Springs through Sunday, June 21, with performances at:

• Tuesday through Friday at 7:30 PM
• Saturday at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM
• Sunday at 1:00 PM and 6:30 PM

The show runs about two and a half hours including a 20-minute intermission, which makes it an easy one to plan an evening around. Tickets are on sale now through AXS.com, or you can grab them in person at the Pikes Peak Center box office. Group and military discounts are available if you are bringing a crowd, and this is an AXS Mobile ID event, so it is worth checking the venue’s mobile ticketing info before you go.

Colorado Springs, do not let this one slip by. With a run this short and energy this big, these shows will not stick around. Grab your tickets, grab your people, and get ready to dance.

^{*we were invited to facilitate a feature, all opinions are our own*}