Jalynn Steele answers the phone with the kind of musical theatre energy one might hope for from someone who is in the touring company of Mamma Mia! The exuberance, though, isn’t from having just completed her latest run-through of a show she figures she has performed in at least 850 times.
“I just finished teaching a master class, so I’m filled with that energy right now,” the Texas-raised Steele said, shortly after leading a session for dance students at Creighton University in Omaha. The class focused on Dancing Queen. Steele taught students her own version of the choreography before taking part in a Q&A session.
“The school is science- and medicine-based,” she said. “So it was great to see that, even though they’re studying neuroscience or whatever, they still have a panache for doing a little Dancing Queen.”
A Musical Phenomenon
To date, an estimated 65-70 million people have seen Mamma Mia!, which has grossed more than $2 billion worldwide. Its original Broadway run, from 2001-2015, made it one of the 10 longest-running shows in the history of the Great White Way. The musical is a jukebox production filled with the songs of ABBA, taking place on a Greek island where a restaurant owner, Donna, prepares for her daughter Sophie’s wedding. Complications arise when Sophie invites three men from her mom’s past, thinking one must be her father.
Steele's Role as Tanya
Steele plays Tanya, Donna’s glamorous and outspoken friend. The performer can relate to some aspects of her character and others, not so much. “I will say that we do have the same sort of love for friendship and girl power,” she said. “But as for the one-piece jumpsuit and platform heels — well, that’s where we differ.” As Tanya, Steele gets to perform Does Your Mother Know, an anthemic showstopper that allows her some freedom to improvise musically and physically.
“The musical director and choreographer kind of let me have a little bit of free rein,” she said. “I get to bring a little piece of Jaelynn in there for those musical riffs and freestyle dancing.”
From Dinner Theatre to National Tour
Before joining the national tour, Steele had already dipped a toe into the world of Mamma Mia! by playing Tanya at Indianapolis’ Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre. Because of her naturally larger-than-life personality, she found she had to dial herself down somewhat. “But at the end of the show, when everybody’s having the dance party, you can let it all fly.” Steele’s Broadway debut came in The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, another touring production that eventually transferred to New York.
Vancouver Performances
Mamma Mia! comes to Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre from May 26-31. Tickets start at $205 and are available at Ticketmaster or by calling 1-800-889-8457. The production features Steele alongside Jessica Crouch as Donna Sheridan and Carly Sakolove as Rosie. Steele has been with the current touring production since it launched in Denver in October 2023. Despite nearly 900 shows, her enthusiasm remains undimmed. “I still believe in the joy of Mamma Mia!,” she said. “It’s a show that brings people together and makes them happy.”
