The
high-energy musical Mamma Mia! celebrated its fifth anniversary at Mandalay
Bay recently and the show, which debuted on March 23, 1999 in London, is
still fresh and going strong in Las Vegas.
When
the show premiered in London in 1999, it was filled with songs made popular
then 25 years ago by the group ABBA that hadn’t done anything since the
1970s and disbanded years ago. “We really had no idea how it was going to be
received," said the producer Judy Craymer whose initial concept in 1989 was
to use those existing ABBA songs within the format of a new, original
musical. At the premiere, “the audience went wild. They were literally out
of their seats and singing and dancing in the aisles.” In 2008, with many
of the songs used recorded over 35 years ago (the show itself takes place in
2000); people are still singing to the familiar tunes and keeping the memory
of ABBA alive. A movie version is due out and there is a book by Catherine
Johnson.
The
music used in Mamma Mia! were composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus
of ABBA with additional music by Stig Anderson. Although the title of the
musical is taken from the group's 1975 hit "Mamma Mia," the musical's plot
has nothing to do with the story of the group itself but the fictional story
of a wedding. Ulvaeus and Andersson have been involved in the development
of the show from the beginning. Anni-Frid Lyngstad of ABBA has been involved
financially in the production, while Agnetha Fältskog (also of ABBA) has
not, but did attend the Swedish premiere.
The
musical includes such hits as "Super Trouper", "Dancing Queen", "Knowing Me,
Knowing You", "Thank You for the Music", "Money, Money, Money", "The Winner
Takes It All", "Voulez Vous", "I Have A Dream" and "SOS".
The
plot of Mamma Mia is both contemporary and traditional. In a small Greek
island, 20-year-old Sophie is engaged to be married in three months and
discovers through reading her mother’s diary that her mother slept with
three men during the time of her conception. Sophie invites all three men
to her wedding, convinced that she will know who her father is when she
meets him.
The
next act is the day before the wedding when all three men arrive from
different continents with vastly different lifestyles. There is Sam from New
York, Bill a writer from Australia and Harry, a banker from London. Donna,
Sophia’s mother, was a singer when she met all three men and it was because
of her broken heart with Sam that she had a one night stand with both Bill
and Harry. Donna’s two best friends, Sky and Tanya, are also part of the
cast as well as staff of the hotel Donna built and manages on the small
Greek Island.
The
character of Sophia encompasses all that is part of a 20-year-olds psyche,
knowing yet insecure, over confident and yet unsure of what she really wants
out of life. Donna, the 40something, still nurses a broken heart after 20
years and tries to bury herself in her work while trying to forget the
past. The three “dads” are funny in explaining how they have all changed in
20 years and how their lives turned out so differently than they planned.
The
music fits in beautifully and the words come to life with a special
meaning. Remember, at the height of ABBA’s success, there was no MTV to
give a visual sense to their songs. The dancing is energetic and costumes
from the 1970s are used in one scene by having a “theme” party when Donna
and her best friends relive their glory days in their 20s. The intersecting
love stories are timeless for all generations and Moriah Angeline as Sophia
and Carol Linnea Johnson as Donna are standouts in this production.
The
show is due to close in January 2009, so go enjoy while you still have the
opportunity to enjoy.
Mamma Mia!
Mandalay Bay
3950
S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Las
Vegas, NV 89119
Tickets are priced at $100, $75 and $45 plus tax.
Show
times are Sunday-Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday show times are 6:00 p.m.
and 10:00 p.m. The show is dark on Fridays.
702-632-7777.
www.mandalaybay.com
