Flin Flonners will have the chance to see that girl, watch that scene and dig the dancing queen next year.
The next musical production of the Flin Flon Community Choir has been announced – it will be Mamma Mia!, the musical based upon the music of Swedish pop group Abba.
The announcement was made after the La Grande Opera performance at the R.H. Channing Auditorium on May 5. In dramatic fashion, the announcement was made by playing the title track of the musical over the auditorium’s public address system.
Choir director Crystal Kolt said she has been trying to bring the musical to Flin Flon for more than a decade.
“For the same 15 years I’ve been looking for it, I was also looking for Les Mis. We got that a few years ago,” said Kolt.
“This one, a month ago wasn’t available, but I checked with New York a couple of days ago and they said, ‘You’ve got it.’ I just grabbed it.”
Kolt said she has spoken with a director she hopes will work on the musical, and the next steps involve getting a team together.
“It’s a big deal. Certainly I know it will go over so well in the north. People will enjoy it,” said Kolt.
It is far from the first time since its inception 22 year ago that the choir has held a well-known production. In the past, the choir and the Flin Flon Arts Council have organized several notable performances, including Chicago, Grease, Les Misérables, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Follies, as well as the original productions Bombertown and Three Brides for Katsos. The choir has performed in locales like New York’s famed Carnegie Hall.
Considering other factors, the timing of Mamma Mia! in Flin Flon is fitting. A sequel to the film adaptation of the play will hit theatres in July and Abba themselves announced plans to reunite and release new music earlier this year.
Putting on a musical production in a small town is not an easy feat. The task will require volunteers and talent, ranging from set designers and stagehands to the performers themselves.
– with files from Cynthia Bigrigg
