'Mamma Mia!'

The plot, about a bride-to-be trying to figure out which of the three men her mother bedded is her father, has always seemed a little beside the point. "Mamma Mia!," the Abba-based show that culls the catalog of Sweden's biggest pop stars, has always been about the music. And the bride-to-be's mom and her two friends, who were part of a singing group, get to relive their carefree glory days, in spandex and other glowy get-ups no less. Chicago-vetted newcomer Christine Sherrill (center) plays taverna owner and mother of the bride, Donna, while Twin Cities mainstay Ann Michels plays wealthy friend Tanya and formidable actor Erin Schwab rounds out the thick-as-thieves trio as carefree Rosie. This splashy show is being staged by Martha Banta, who was resident director for the Broadway production of "Mamma Mia!," with movement created by Brit choreographer Mitch Sebastian. (Previews 7:30 p.m. Tue.-Wed., opens 7:30 p.m. Thu.-next Fri., 2 & 7:30 p.m. next Sat. & Sun. Ends Aug. 5. Ordway Center, 345 Washington Av., St. Paul. $34-$132. 651-224-4222 or ordway.org.)

Rohan Preston