Next week’s opening of the musical “Mamma Mia!” in Des Moines is a homecoming of sorts for one of the cast members. Thirty-four-year-old actress, singer and dancer Sophia Thomas has long called New York City home but she first stepped on-stage in the Quad Cities. The Bettendorf native says friends and family will trek to Iowa’s capitol to see the show, which revolves around the music of Abba. Thomas says she knew of the Swedish ’70s pop quartet growing up, but wasn’t a die-hard fan. Now that she’s been exposed to so much Abba music, she’s developed a passion for the disco tunes. Even after seven months on the national tour, Thomas says she’s not sick of the songs yet. “It’s surprising. I thought I might be tired of it, but I’m not. I’m still enjoying myself immensely and I’m not tired of the music yet.” Thomas is an understudy for one of the main characters and has been able to fill that role about a dozen times since she’s been on the tour, which opened last summer. Her main role is being a member of what’s called the ensemble. “I do just about everything. We sing through the entire show backstage. We have vocal booths so we’re always singing even when the audience cannot see us, we are singing the backup tracks. I do a lot of group dance work that happens on stage and also the set changes that happen, a lot of the cast is responsible for that.” The show opens Tuesday and runs through Sunday at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines. For more information, surf to “www.civiccenter.org”.
