Oh, Mamma!

Phyllida Lloyd is having a pretty remarkable year. Her film version of the hit musical Mamma Mia! — which she also directed for the stage — is one of the year’s top-grossing films both in the U.S. and around the world; it has been nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture (musical and comedy); and it emerges this week in a sure-to-be popular 2-disc DVD edition. Of course, Lloyd hasn’t turned her back on the stage; she’s gearing up for the Broadway production of her London hit Mary Stuart, which will open at the Broadhurst Theatre in April. We spoke with Lloyd earlier this month.

THEATERMANIA: The film version of Mamma Mia! has been a huge hit everywhere, but especially in the U.K., where it has become the top-grossing movie ever. Did its success surprise you?
PHYLLIDA LLOYD: I guess we thought if the Brits don’t get it, nobody will. But the biggest delight is how it has connected with audiences all over the world. I find it really humbling and exciting.

TM: How involved were you in putting together the versions playing in non-English speaking countries?
PL: I did get involved, because in a lot of countries, Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan (who play Donna and Sam) have people who have been dubbing them for years, even if their voices have no relation to their voices. But because this is a musical, we had to decide whether to recast those people. I’m very interested in the issue of how you make the transition from speech to song, and that’s very much part of the game and a playful device of Mamma Mia!, whether it’s a very smooth transition or a deliberate car crash.

TM: What was it like working with Meryl Streep?
PL: I think for all of us, it was the chance of a lifetime; I know things will never be the same for me. There was something very personal about this project for her; she really identified with Donna, and enjoyed being in this girls’ world. There is something special about women behaving badly and being paid for it.

TM: Do you recall what it was like seeing the film for the first time with a live audience?
PL: I was in San Diego with a mostly Spanish-speaking audience, and I was worried. So when they got so into the story, I was rather relieved. But having come from the theater world, I was very used to the live experience. So, even if this was my first film, I knew how to react to the audience at a preview screening — to decide what jokes aren’t landing, and to feel very open to making changes based on the audience reaction. It was very instructive, but I have to admit I was more surprised by what did work than what didn’t.

TM: This was also your first time in creating a DVD. Tell me about your reactions to that experience?

PL: The whole DVD world is really exciting. I love giving the audience access to the process; I think for both students and fans, it’s a really interesting tool. It’s as much a production in its own way as a film, because you’re giving them another kind of fiction; it’s not really warts and all. I did watch all the movie footage again; but I think I already knew what would be exciting and helpful to the fans.

TM: Was choosing which deleted scenes to include a particular challenge?
PL: In terms of the deleted scenes, sometimes you can’t put some of them in, because neither you nor the actors want anyone to see them. I think some sort of trust has to be established if you want these people to trust you in the future. But with something like “The Name of the Game,” we knew it would be a shame not to include it on DVD. Amanda Seyfried has a wonderful voice, but taking that sequence out in the film gave it a sense of tension.

TM: Switching topics: one of the most exciting things about your upcoming production of Mary Stuart is that you’re bringing over your leading ladies from London: Tony Award winner Janet McTeer in the title role and Harriet Walter as Elizabeth I. Was there any discussion about casting Americans in those roles?
PL: No one dared to discuss not bringing them to the States with me, and it probably would have been a deal-breaker. There isn’t a really good reason in my opinion — well, maybe a commercial one — not to have them come. Those women have been working with classic language for 30 years. It’s like seeing August: Osage County in London with an American cast. I’ve never seen an audience at the National Theatre stand up like they did for that play, and I think it’s because we all realized we were seeing those actors playing together with the kind of expertise that we could never do. I think that’s what’s wonderful about having cultural exchange, like bringing Janet and Harriet back to America in this play. But we have offered all the other parts to American actors, and it’s going to be a great cast.

TM: Back to Mamma Mia! for one last question. How important is it for you that the film do well during this awards season?
PL: Of course, you want to see the film win awards. But to be honest, the fact that people love it so much is enough of a miracle for me.