Judy Craymer, 'Mamma Mia!' Creator, Talks Working With Meryl Streep and Cher | THR News - video Dailymotion

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Musical producer Judy Craymer dishes on all things 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' as she talks casting decisions, Cher, costume design and more.

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00:00I never did ask you guys, what happened when you met my mother?

00:04Mamma Mia! may now be a global musical sensation, but the story of an idyllic

00:08Greek island, three potential fathers, a pair of overalls and a soundtrack

00:11consisting of songs by pop group ABBA was once just an idea in producer Judy

00:15Kramer's mind. Kramer was inspired by the theatrical potential of ABBA's

00:19emotional ballad, The Winner Takes It All, and decided to put her production

00:23skills to use to create a story around some of the Swedish band's greatest hits.

00:27It was nearly 20 years ago when Mamma Mia! hit the stage for the first time

00:31on London's West End in 1999. Since then, Mamma Mia! has established itself

00:35as the eighth longest-running show in West End history, grossing over $2 billion

00:39throughout its run. Now, the beloved musical has spawned a sequel film with a cast

00:44of new characters, including Lily James, as a 20-something version of Meryl Streep's

00:48Donna. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, which dances into theaters July 20th,

00:52explores the rich backstory that originated in Donna Sheridan's diary from the first film.

00:56The Hollywood Reporter's Sydney Onman caught up with Kramer to discuss the sequel,

01:00working with Meryl Streep and Cher, and making overalls great again.

01:03Spoiler alert ahead for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

01:07When speaking of staying true to Donna's backstory, which we learned from her diary

01:10in the first film, Kramer explains just how imperative that was.

01:14It was incredibly important to quite literally mime the origins of the story, she says.

01:18We have something that I like to call the Mamma Mia! factor, and I think the goal was to

01:23somehow find that while exploring the backstory and going into the present day, while also

01:27giving serious nods to the last film. The location, the island, the sense of place, the sense that

01:32you want to join old friends and be back there — it was all important.

01:36And when it comes to the decision to kill off Donna, played of course by the legendary Meryl Streep,

01:40Kramer assures us that the Oscar-winning actress was always a part of that conversation.

01:45Says Kramer,

01:46She was so glorious in the first movie and has so much affection for Mamma Mia!

01:50So she was always a part of a conversation for another film.

01:53I think for her, it was a matter of what and how, and we also did chat occasionally about that.

01:57It was a matter of the right script. Also, Meryl likes to conquer new things, and she had played

02:02Donna Sheridan and been singing nine or so ABBA songs in the first movie.

02:05I think she felt that she liked the idea of leaving this to the younger ones and she wanted to be involved,

02:09but she wasn't going to take on such a big role. From one iconic performer to another,

02:13Kramer also weighs in on the casting of another Oscar-winner, Cher, in the role of Ruby Sheridan,

02:18Donna's mother.

02:19That was always kind of on the big dream list when we started working on this one at Mitz Kramer.

02:23There was really only one choice, which was Cher, and she said yes.

02:26And I know she's a musician, so she loves ABBA, and I knew she'd love the stage show.

02:30I have to say, though, once again, she isn't just a great voice, but a great actress and a great comedian.

02:35She was quite forensic in her work and her thought process.

02:38Of course, a big part of the Mamma Mia! films are the costumes, and the sequel does not disappoint

02:43with flashbacks to the 70s where we see Donna and the Dynamos as their younger selves.

02:48Kramer quips that she has hopes that overalls will become fashionable.

02:51I think what Lily James is wearing and what they're all wearing when they go back to the 70s

02:56is very kind of clever, she says. It's not clichéd. It's very much what any 20-something would want to be wearing,

03:02just as any 20-something would want to be on that holiday romance. Well, I hope. I would.

03:07And finally, when asked by Oddman what she loves most about seeing Mamma Mia! on the screen,

03:11as opposed to the stage, Kramer has this to say.

03:14It celebrates women, but it celebrates friendship and men, too. You feel, with all those guys coming back,

03:19Pierce and Stalin and Colin, that they really are friends. The story that we left off in the first

03:24movie was about Sophie discovering her three possible fathers, and now I think you really feel

03:29they have a family unit. So, it's like saying, there's all kinds of families. It doesn't matter,

03:33you can be a little unconventional, but family and friends are important.

03:37To read Sidney Oltman's full interview with Judy Kramer about Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,

03:41head to THR.com and tell us, are you planning to have a sing-along in the theaters this weekend?

03:46Let us know in the comments. For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Lyndsey Rodrigues.

Judy Craymer, 'Mamma Mia!' Creator, Talks Working With Meryl Streep and Cher | THR News

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