Mamma Mia!

Mamma Mia! screens at The Paramount Theatre on Saturday, August 1, as part of the Paramount Summer Classic Film Series. It's the 2008 version, 109 minutes, in color and presented on DCP.

The story follows an independent hotelier on the Greek islands, played by Meryl Streep, as she prepares for her daughter's wedding with the help of two old friends. Meanwhile, the spirited bride, Sophie, secretly invites three men from her mother's past in the hope of meeting her real father. It's directed by Phyllida Lloyd and stars Streep alongside Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Stellan Skarsgard, Colin Firth, Christine Baranski, and Julie Walters.

Seeing it at the Paramount adds a bit of local history to the night. The theatre has stood on Congress Avenue in downtown Austin for over a century, built in 1915 as the city's oldest surviving theatre. It started as a Vaudeville and variety house and is now a City of Austin and State Landmark, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It's one of the few remaining 'hemp houses' in the country, and it's where Austin's red-carpet film premieres happen. It's also part of SXSW and the Austin Film Festival, and it hosts the Moontower Comedy Festival. The Paramount operates alongside the State Theatre next door under The Austin Theatre Alliance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit.

So, you've got a Greek island wedding on the big screen in a downtown landmark that's been around since 1915. Mamma Mia! plays Saturday, August 1, at The Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress.