'Mamma Mia!' Oklahoma performer coming to OKC on jukebox musical's 25th anniversary tour

Although Dorian Quinn didn't start out as "Super Trouper" fan of the iconic Swedish band ABBA, the Oklahoma native is saying "Thank You for the Music" as he continues performing on the 25th anniversary tour of the enduring jukebox musical "Mamma Mia!"

"We actually had our 200th performance last night ... and we've got a lot more months coming up. So far, so good: We're selling tickets; we're doing well," Quinn said by phone from the road in Chicago earlier this month.

Born in Stillwater and raised in Ponca City, Quinn found the golden ticket to his love for theater during his freshman year in high school, when he was cast as Mr. Salt in "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory."

"I was like, 'I grew up with this movie, I grew up with Gene Wilder, maybe I'll give it a go,'" said Quinn, who continued doing shows at Evans Children's Academy of Performing Arts in Ponca City.

"It was out of that show I was like, 'Oh I could do this. Maybe I want to continue doing it.' So, I did other shows. And then I found out people get paid doing it — not very well at first; it's a tough business when it comes to finances — but I was like, 'I want to do it. I can get some sort of money out of it, so why not do it?'"

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When is the 'Mamma Mia!' 25th anniversary tour coming to Oklahoma City?

After earning his bachelor's degree in University of Central Oklahoma's musical theater program, the performer, whose full name is Dorian Quinn Herron, worked in regional theaters, on cruise ships and on the non-Equity 2019 national tour of "Legally Blonde — The Musical."

When Quinn hit the road last October with the Equity North American tour of "Mamma Mia!" as a member of the show’s ensemble and an understudy for the roles of Bill and Sam, he took note of the show's spring stop in his home state.

The final show of OKC Broadway's 2023-2024 season, "Mamma Mia!" uses the earworms of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers ABBA to tell the tale of Sophie Sheridan (Alisa Melendez), who, with her doting single mother Donna (Christine Sherrill), is preparing for her wedding to her fiance Sky (Grant Reynolds) on an idyllic Greek island. Determined to have the father she's never known walk her down the aisle, Sophie invites three men from her mother's past — Harry (Rob Marnell), Bill (Jim Newman) and Sam (Victor Wallace) — to the wedding.

Theatergoers will be grooving to "Dancing Queen," "S.O.S.," the title track and more during the musical's May 21-26 OKC run at Civic Center Music Hall.

Although the national tour of "Mamma Mia!" previously visited Oklahoma City in 2012 and 2016, and Lyric Theatre staged the sunny jukebox musical in 2018, OKC Broadway General Manager Elizabeth W. Gray said the show still has theatergoers saying ""Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!"

"I'm excited for the end of the season, because we just start to really hit the ground running on the next season. But I think we're ending this season with a bang with 'Mamma Mia!' Sales are insane," Gray said, noting that Meryl Streep, the star of the "Mamma Mia!" film adaptations, is talking about a third movie musical based on the show.

"It's really a family favorite and a fan favorite. ... The iconic music, I think that's the No. 1 driver. But it's also the fact that it's been reenergized so many times in the past couple of decades, either on stage or via film. So, I think that just keeps it fresh."

Why has 'Mamma Mia!' become such an enduring musical theater favorite?

Ahead of the national tour's arrival in his home state, Quinn talked with The Oklahoman about the enduring appeal of "Mamma Mia!," his favorite ABBA musical numbers from the show and his experience stepping into one of the main men's roles in the musical:

Q: Did you know much about the show or about ABBA when you joined the tour?

A: I actually did the show before. I did it way back in 2016 at Music Theatre Wichita (in Kansas). I played the role of Sky ... but at that time, I didn't know much about ABBA. I just knew some of their songs, but that got me into it.

Then, fast-forward like 10 years later, they're doing auditions for the tour. And I was like, 'Well, I've been in it. I know the songs. I know a good bit of ABBA. Sure. I'll do it.' So, here we are.

Q: The show has a lot of big musical numbers. Do you have a favorite?

A: It's the last three big numbers, which are 'Mamma Mia! (Reprise),' 'Dancing Queen (Reprise)' and 'Waterloo,' just because we're out there, we're just having fun, we're dancing. Honestly, we get a little bit of creative freedom when it comes to some of the dance moves. So, I just go out there, and it's new every night. I just have a good time doing whatever dance I'm feeling.

Q: When did you decide that theater was the career path you wanted to follow?

A: Not to get spiritual about it, with my dad being a pastor, but it was probably my sophomore year in college. Freshman year, you're excited ... but then it's like, 'let's get serious about life.' So, I did what my dad told me. ... I prayed to the Lord like, 'God, show me what I need to do. Let me know if I need to do this.'

So that night, I actually had a dream, and I was sitting outside at like some sort of coffee shop with a man. And I asked the man that same question. I was like, 'Hey, do I need to do this?' And I remember him looking at me and pointing at me and saying, 'Yeah, I made you for this. I called you to do this. You need to stick with it, because with me, you're not going to fail.' And then I woke up, and that was my answer.

Q: What have your experiences been like as an understudy on the tour?

A: This is probably my second time I've ever done it, and I forgot how difficult it was, just trying to get everything memorized and being on my toes ready for when that time comes. ...

I cover Sam and Bill, and those two guys, man, they're there. They're battle tanks; they don't call out for nothing. They just go in, they do their job, and they're healthy. ... It's been six months, and I'm like, 'All right, now's the time. Let's do it.' ...

I did go on for Bill (on a recent Saturday), and it was better than I imagined. ... Everyone was very supportive in the cast, and I felt like I killed it.

Q: Why do you think 'Mamma Mia!' has become such a lasting show?

A: I was swung out yesterday ... so I got to watch it and experience it from a different view. And I got to be reminded of how great of a show this is and how great ABBA is. ... It's nice to sit out, watch it and be like, 'Oh, yeah, that's why I'm doing it.' ... Seeing the amount of talent out there — everybody's working their butts off, and everyone's just sounding so good — it brought me back to appreciating just everything about it.

Q: What are your thoughts of being part of this beloved show's 25th anniversary tour?

A: I didn't really know how big of a deal it was until I got there. To be honest, when I found out it was the 25th anniversary, I was like, 'Oh, good, a job. I can hopefully get the job.' I really wasn't thinking about how long it's been, and then once I got it, as time went on, I realized, 'Oh, shoot, this is a huge deal.' ... It's the 25th anniversary: Not many shows or people can say that, so I'm fortunate and honored to be a part of it.

Q: What are you anticipating from coming back to Oklahoma to perform?

A: I've been looking forward to this for months now. ... It's gonna be interesting. I don't know how I'm gonna feel about it, to be honest. I don't think I'll feel it until I'm there. Then maybe the tears will start hitting me, I don't know.

'MAMMA MIA!'

• When: May 21-26.
• Where: Civic Center, 201 N Walker.
• Tickets: https://www.okcbroadway.com/mammamia.