Mamma Mia! success, music to the ears of Charlottetown Festival

Wednesday night saw a sold-out performance of the musical Mamma Mia! at the Confederation Centre of the Arts, and by all accounts, that's the type of audience the big Broadway show has been enjoying during its run in Charlottetown this summer.

All accounts, except the centre's own, as the actual specifics haven't been prepared yet.

"The numbers haven't come in, we still have a long way to go in terms of our full season," the artistic director of the Confederation Centre, Adam Brazier, told CBC Mainstreet's Karen Mair. "I'll tell you this, it's going well, and if you haven't seen it, there are still tickets left, but not many, so get out there now and get them."

That's great news for the centre, Brazier confirmed. "Mamma Mia! comes to us at a perfect time. We have been in debt for a long time, carrying a great deal of debt, and this is relieving that."

But bringing in a popular, non-Canadian show like a Broadway musical always stirs up an argument about what should and shouldn't be on the stage at one of the country's premier theatres.

Brazier, who is also the director of the play, doesn't see it as an issue, but as a necessity.

Those people went to restaurants, those people paid for parking.- Adam Brazier, Artistic Director

"Mamma Mia! is doing exactly what Mamma Mia! was chosen to do," he explained. "It's functioning the way we need it to function. It's a very popular show. This show has been proven, if you do a first-class production, which I think we have done, that people will come, and they are."

Pays for other shows

He said the success of the show helps offset the cost of other Canadian productions the festival puts on, such as Spoon River, at the Mac.

"That frees us up and allows us to start to take more risks, and allows us to think about things like development, and commissioning new works, and getting us back to that other focus that we need," said Brazier.

Along with the artistic risks, Brazier also pointed out the many community outreach projects that the Confederation Centre puts on, including those at the art gallery, and all the outreach and education work, all largely funded by ticket sales to the major shows.

Boosts local economy

And there's that phrase beloved by all the tourism operators: economic spin-offs.

"Let's not forget that when the second show, as we refer to it, the second show that runs opposite Anne, does well, we all do well," said Brazier.

"The tide rises when the shows at the festival are successful. We had 1,100 people in that theatre last night, enjoying, loving Mamma Mia! Well, those people went to restaurants, those people paid for parking, those people took taxi cabs, got hotels. All of that, we all benefit from that, so it's something that we don't take lightly."

Mamma Mia! plays on select dates at Confederation Centre of the Arts until Sept. 3.

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