Gabrielle Mirabella, Georgia Kate Haege, and Carly Sakolove in
The smash hit musical Mamma Mia tells the tale of Sophie (Chelsea Williams), a young woman on the eve of her wedding, who has cooked up a plot to discover the identity of her father, unbeknownst to her stressed-out mother, Donna (Georgia Kate Haege). It takes place on a Greek island, where Donna runs an inn. When wedding guests begin to arrive, things get even more chaotic for Donna. There are warm reunions with old friends, confusing encounters with three ex-lovers (one of which is Sophie’s father, though he doesn’t know it), comical misunderstandings, and touching mother-daughter moments, all choreographed to the songs of 1970s Swedish pop band, ABBA.
“There’s really something for everyone,” says Haege. “It’s a mother-daughter story, so it’s generational. There’s Sophie and her fiancé Sky, so there’s young love. There are Sophie’s best friends, Lisa and Ali, contrasted with Donna and her two friends, Tanya and Rosie, who she’s known for years and years. It’s about love lost and found again with Donna and her three guys. There’s something for men, there’s something for women, there’s something for every generation. It’s just one of those across-the-boards musicals.”
The 2008 movie adaptation of the musical received a lot of attention, with its all-star cast and spectacular Greek scenery, but according to Haege, the musical is even better.
“They cut out some of the songs in the movie version, and then the staging is changed, obviously. Film versus theater, it’s always going to be different, but theater is just so much more exciting. The live energy, the audience response…there’s just something special about it that can’t be captured by film.”
Haege says the musical has many fantastic elements, from the score, to the flashy costumes, to colorful sets, energetic dancing, and, of course, the talented cast.
“Their voices are really just incredible,” says Haege. “They make these beautiful harmonies, and they’re just unbelievable.”
Though Haege is now an accomplished stage actor, she faced great disappointment and numerous obstacles starting out. She says that her greatest letdowns occurred when she first moved to New York from Sydney, Australia, back in 2002.
“I started going off to these casting calls and getting typed out—where they look at you and you don’t even get to sing—and they’d say, ‘We can tell you’re not right for any of these roles.’ I found that really discouraging. You’d waste half a day and get turned down without even getting to audition.”
Frustrated, she stepped away from acting for a few years to pursue her music, where she found considerably more immediate success. Haege sang backup for Meat Loaf, co-wrote and sang in her disco-pop band, Liquid Diet, and recorded jingles for companies like Fisher-Price, Subaru, and Trojan. Though she truly enjoyed her career in music, she wanted to find as much success from acting.
“So I went back and tried again,” she says. “I hit the audition trailers, landed Off-Off-Broadway roles, and as I was doing those shows, I started auditioning for bigger shows and tours, and the rest is history. It was difficult, but I was determined. You really have to put everything into it. If I could give any advice to aspiring actors, it would be that you just have to be completely merciless. It pays off, it really does. If you work hard and prepare, you’re going to end up getting a job.”
And she is certainly thrilled she did.
“I feel very fortunate with this role,” Haege admits. “It’s like it was meant to be. It’s actually really funny, how I ended up getting the part. I contacted them initially and they said they were interested in seeing me. Then I booked another tour that took me off to Australia. Since I was gone, they wanted me to send a video, but I never sent it—I was busy and I was traveling.
“So I got back to New York, and I happened to be going to another audition, an open call for a Broadway production called Soul Doctor that the same agency just happened to be casting. So I walk in, and it was a very quiet day and one of the agents was there, and I looked at her and said, ‘Oh my god, I’m so sorry I haven’t sent you the video. I just got back to New York.’ And she said, ‘Well, it’s quiet. Why don’t we film you now?’ So she got out her phone and filmed me singing ‘The Winner Takes It All’ while I was looking at the lyrics on my iPhone and the pianist was looking at the music on his iPhone,” she pauses and laughs. “Technology is so amazing. I probably stumbled a little in the song, trying to audition that way, but it was a lot of fun—just like the show.”
Mamma Mia! runs February 7 through 9 at the Fox Theatre (527 Grand). For a list of show times or to purchase tickets, visit fabulousfox.com or call 314-534-1111.
