'Mamma Mia!' It's Louise Pitre

"Mamma Mia!" a Broadway musical featuring songs of the '70s Swedish rock group ABBA, has taken the Great White Way by storm, wowing audiences and garnering five Tony Award Nominations.

One of those nominations went to Louise Pitre for her role as Donna, the never-wed mother giving away her daughter's hand in marriage. Pitre visited The Early Show Friday to talk about the musical and sing "The Winner Takes It All."

"When you first get the call, it's amazing because for years I had been watching the Tony Awards on television, just to wonder how it must be like to just be there, to be nominated," said Pitre.

Now, she said she just hopes to be in one piece by June 2, the day when the awards are presented at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

"Between the eight shows a week, the Tony award nomination, and my fantastic press agent, wow, what can I say, I'm running as fast as I can," she said.

Pitre has already won a Dora Mavor Moore Award (the Canadian equivalent of the Tony), the National Broadway Touring Award, and a special award from the San Francisco Theatre Critics Circle for her performance in "Mamma Mia!"

For now, she said she is just thrilled to be on Broadway, able to experience the response from the audience and the feedback she gets through the show's Web site.

"That is the prize, I got a million Emails a day on the Web site, I'm overwhelmed by the response by fans who love the show," she said.

So what are people reacting to? The story, Pitre explained.

"You have a story about real people, these are not make-believe people; these are people that you could know."

She called it "the happiest damn show, I've ever done. It's a hell of a feeling to be happy at the end of the show, I've done some dramatic shows, but this is a lot different."

She said she is particularly gratified at the end of the show when the house lights come up and she can see faces in the audience. "That's a really neat thing to see their faces in the audience, that's our moment to share, together," she said.

Besides being in the show, Pitre recently released All of "My Life Has Led To This," a CD featuring two French songs composed by Pitre, a French version of "The Winner Takes It All," and "Slipping Through My Fingers."