MAMMA MIA! Capitol Theatre, through Nov. 27 (355-2787 or www.arttix.org). Running time: 2 1/2 hours (one intermission).
It may be highly unscientific, but it was proven Tuesday night that the Capitol Theatre is probably earthquake-proof.
The venerable venue sustained wave after wave of intense vibrations from "Mamma Mia!" — which likely ranks pretty high on both the Richter and music scales.
But you don't need to batten down the hatches or run for cover — just cut loose, let yourself be caught up in the infectious rhythms of more than 20 ABBA hits, and go ahead, do some dancin' in the aisles.
British playwright Catherine Johnson cleverly weaves the lyrics of the familiar tunes into a light, romantic tale of love and marriage on a Greek island. The story is fun but definitely takes a back seat to the music.
The production on Tuesday was plagued early on with uneven sound (which seemed to be remedied during intermission) and a few performers seemed to be struggling with Utah's infamous altitude problems, which frequently happens when a national touring company stops here right after playing closer to sea level.
The cast, over all, was pretty amazing. Lauren Mufson delivers a powerhouse performance as Donna Sheridan, the single mother of 20-year-old Sophie, who is about to get married. A brief prologue sets up the premise — Sophie (nicely played by Bekah Nutt) has been reading her mother's old diary, only to discover that Mom once had quick, steamy flings with three men, any of whom may be her father. Without telling Donna, Sophie invites all three to the wedding — and musical chaos ensues.
The leads, by and large, are all well cast — especially Lisa Mandel as Tanya and Laura Ware as Rosie, former band mates in Donna and the Dynamos, who heat up the stage with "Dancing Queen" and "Super Trouper."
Lanky Mandel (who played Tiger Lily in Pioneer Theatre Company's production of "Peter Pan" a couple of seasons back), also turns up the heat with "Does Your Mother Know?"
Sophie and her groom-to-be, Sky (Robert Adelman Hancock), get their share of solos and duets as well, including "I Have a Dream" and "Lay All Your Love on Me."
Donna's three former lovers are traveling Aussie journalist Bill Austin (Milo Shandel), London banker Harry Bright (Ian Simpson) and architect Sam Carmichael (Tony Clements) — all of whom eventually claim the right to walk Sophie down the aisle.
But this isn't Shakespeare. This is an all-out ABBA concert in a clever disguise that's as wild and crazy as the colorful assortment of Spandex costumes cavorting around the stage, with such great songs as "Money, Money, Money," "Chiquitita," "The Name of the Game," "The Winner Takes It All" — and, at the wedding, "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do."
Sensitivity rating: Some profanity and quite a bit of pretty sensual dancing — sometimes sexually graphic. Some may be offended, but most will just enjoy the "feel good" music.
E-mail: ivan@desnews.com