A 'Mamma' of an opening

The touring production of the hit musical Mamma Mia! opened Tuesday night with the first of eight planned performances at Bell Auditorium.

The production played in front of a crowd of about 2,200 people, just short of the venue's 2,800-seat capacity.

The musical, which features songs by the Swedish pop group ABBA, opened in London in 1999 and moved to Broadway in 2001. Since then it has been translated into 11 languages and performed in 160 cities in 51 countries.

A successful feature film, starring Meryl Streep, was released in 2008.