The Mamas & the Papas their original roles, Mackenzie Phillips taking Michelle Phillips' part and Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane of Spanky and Our Gang taking the part of Cass Elliot. Little progress was made until after Phillips had been sentenced and served his time in jail. The quartet began rehearsing in earnest and recording demos in the summer of 1981. Their first performances were in March 1982, when they were praised for their "verve and expertise", the "impressive precision" of the harmonies, and the "feeling ... of genuine celebration" on stage. The group toured the United States, including residencies in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, but
Magnormos to celebrate the 80th birthday of Stephen Sondheim. The Triptych included one-night presentations of "Saturday Night", "Merrily We Roll Along", and "Anyone Can Whistle" across consecutive Mondays at the Melbourne Recital Centre. In 2011 Magnormos presented a Jerry Herman Triptych which included "Milk and Honey", "Dear World" and "Hello, Dolly!." Magnormos' 2011 season also included the Melbourne premiere of "The Hatpin", and co-produced the world premiere of "flowerchildren – the mamas and papas" story starring Matt Hetherington, Laura Fitzpatrick, Dan Humphris and Casey Donovan as Mama Cass. In 2013 the company staged a commercial season of "flowerchildren – the mamas