Belle Madden and Roseanne Jones have been chosen to play the lead roles of Donna and Sophie Sheridan in Mamma Mia!. Photo: Griffith City Council.
Belle Madden has landed the lead role of bride-to-be Sophie Sheridan in the Griffith production of the musical comedy Mamma Mia! – a “perfect coincidence” for the engaged singer who is soon to be married in real life.
“There’s so many parallels between Sophie and I, I’m also planning my wedding,” she said. “You see the scene of her in the living room trying on her white dress, that will be me soon.
“This will be like rehearsals for me, I’ll be going through it all with my on-stage mum and my real mum.”
The daughter of a single mum, the character Sophie Sheridan invites three men who could be her father to the wedding.
“Unfortunately, or fortunately, I only have the one father to invite to my wedding,” Ms Madden joked. “But I’ll have to include some ABBA songs at my reception.”
Belle Madden won the People’s Choice Award at an open mic festival in 2024. Photo: Ginette Guidolin Photography.
The 26-year-old from Narrabri moved to Griffith three years ago to work as a school psychologist. She has already made headlines here, winning the People’s Choice Award at a Grassroots Open Mic competition and performed at the inaugural TEDxGriffith in August 2024.
“I was absolutely flawed to get the role of Sophie, given the level of talent that turned out for auditions,” she said. “I saw some of the women who were auditioning for Sophie … I thought wow, I’m pleased to just be in their company.”
Griffith Regional Theatre’s community production of Mamma Mia!, a musical powered by the songs of Swedish pop group ABBA, will see several familiar faces take stage alongside Ms Madden.
Seasoned performer Rosanne Jones will play the pivotal role of Sophie’s mum Donna. Ms Jones has had past roles in Fiddler on the Roof (2007), Griffith the Musical (2009), and Wicked (2017).
Lara Calabria and Jacqui Haliburton will be playing Rosanne’s friends Tania and Rosie, while the three potential dads will be Luke Testoni as Sam Carmichael, Ross Vecchio as Harry Bright, and Tom Klemm as Bill Austin.
Oumi Karenga-Hewitt is the director of Mamma Mia! Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Director Oumi Karenga-Hewitt, musical director Matt Segrave and assistant director Hannah Lonergan selected the full cast for the stage play (to be performed in September) from more than 80 people who auditioned.
Mr Segrave said he was impressed by the many newcomers who will feature in the play.
“A lot of people auditioning had never done so before, but they came out and gave it a go, with amazing results. We also saw how much the music of ABBA attracted people to audition, with many having grown up with the songs,” he said.
Taking on supporting roles in the show are Taylor Leilua as Sky, Gustavo Magalhaes Tercete as Pepper, and Jesse Aviu as Eddie. Elli Gill and Brianna Codemo take on the roles of Sophie’s closest friends, Ali and Lisa, with Bernie Maxwell responsible for marrying everyone off as Father Alexandrious. The full cast list, including members of the ensemble, can be viewed on the theatre’s website.
“The energy, dedication, and talent we saw has been outstanding, beyond what I could have imagined. Mamma Mia! is a show that brings people together – full of joy, laughter, and of course, the timeless music of ABBA. We can’t wait to share this experience with the community,” director Oumi Karenga-Hewitt said.
Rehearsals for the show begin in April, with the show hitting the stage from 17 – 27 September. Tickets will go on sale in July. You can follow Mamma Mia Griffith and Griffith Regional Theatre socials to keep up to date with the show. Anyone interested in supporting the production as a sponsor, volunteer, or in the crew should contact the theatre or email [email protected]
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