"ABBA-solutely fAB!" (snicker..)
Written: Sep 01 '01 (Updated Sep 02 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Funny, upbeat, wonderful tribute to one of my old favorite rock groups, ABBA..
Cons: They didn't play "Fernando"!..
The Bottom Line: Whether you're an ABBA fan or not, this musical will lift your spirits - guaranteed to have you stompin out of the theatre..
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| lfitz_01's Full Review: Mamma Mia! |
"Mamma Mia"
Music and lyrics by
ABBA's own Benny Andersson
and Bjorn Ulvaeus......
Damn!,.. Why did I wear those high pumps?!
I knew in advance I'd wind up out of my chair
rockin and clappin to ABBA along with everyone
else, so off came the shoes by the second act!..
I didn't know what to expect to see after I won
tickets on the radio to see "Mamma Mia". Even after
seeing reviews on the news and commercials, I still
couldn't envision 22 of ABBA's greatest hits turned
into a musical. Nor did I know who to invite to go
with me, not knowing enough about it. (I hate these
decisions!).
Well, I wound up going with a friend and coworker.
We both had a delightful time and were both pleasantly
surprised by this light and upbeat musical. We saw the show at the Colonial Theatre in Boston. It's a lovely place, however it was very difficult trying to rock 'n roll in your own little space without whacking somebody or stepping on some toes, but that couldn't be helped.
Noone seemed to mind much tho. That would probably be
my only complaint about the show, otherwise I was delighted
with it and wouldn't have minded paying for my ticket.
THE PLOT:
The story begins:
On a tiny Greek Island, a wedding is about to take place..
The curtains open to the bride-to-be, Miss Sophie Sheridan (Lisa Kisch) discussing with her two friends how she'd discovered her mother's old diary, sharing with them the shocking news that her mother, Donna Sheridan (Dee Hoty) had had affairs with three different men before Sophie was conceived, leaving the disturbing question of who was her real father?
Sophie found all this to be quite exciting, and decided to mail three invitations to the gentlemen in hopes they would all make the wedding under the guise that they were all old friends, and she would secretly make the discovery of who should actually give her away. When the three men turned up on the island, not entirely sure why they were invited,
Sophie had them more or less convinced they were there as friends of her mother's. Mom was in for quite a shock when she saw all three of them at once at her bar.
One silly set of circumstances leads to the next as all the talented performers onstage belted out amazingly 22 of ABBA's hits. I couldn't figure out how they were going to match lyrics of songs into the story's plot, but they did it, often getting an appreciative laugh from the audience everytime a new song came up.
The cast put forth great effort to deliver spirit, comedy and credibility throughout. The ending was as fun and upbeat as the rest of the performance and was very creative, and the costumes were great. I hadn't had that much fun in awhile and I really needed it,
too!
There was some sexual reference in the show, but nothing heavy duty. I did see a few kids in the audience, but mostly it is geared for the older crowd, or my generation (gulp).
MUSICAL NUMBERS:
Chiquitita
Dancing Queen
Does Your Mother Know
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
Honey, Honey
I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
I Have a Dream
Knowing Me, Knowing You
Lay All Your Love On Me
Mamma Mia
Money, Money, Money
One Of Us
Our Last Summer
Slipping Through My Fingers
S.O.S.
Super Trouper
Take a Chance on Me
Thank You For The Music
The Name Of The Game
The Winner Takes It All
Under Attack
Voulez-Vous
CAST:
Sophie Sheridan - Lisa Kisch
Donna Sheridan - Dee Hoty
Sam Carmichael - Gary Lynch
Bill Austin - Craig Bennett
Harry Bright - Lee MacDougall
Sky - Adam Brazier
Ali - Nicole Fraser
Lisa - Miku Graham
Tanya - Mary Ellen Mahoney
Rosie - Gabrielle Jones
Pepper - Nicolas Dromard
Eddie - Adam Fleming
Father Alexandrios - Howard Kaye
TICKET PRICING:
Orchestra - $82
Mezz - $57
DAYS AND TIMES:
Tues - Sat 8PM
Sun - 7:30PM
Sat & Sun
Matinee - 2PM
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
lfitz_01
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Location: Boston, Mass
Reviews written: 30
Trusted by: 13 members
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