Mama Mia- not ABBAmania

The musical theatre genre has evolved to include much more than the standard fare of the classic musical. From the spectacle of the FAIRY TALE musicals like “Lion King” and “Beauty and the Beast”, to the extravagantly stunning chorus numbers in “Forty Second Street”; from the cast on roller skates in “Starlight Express” to the elaborate costuming of “Cats”, audiences are experiencing a more diverse form of entertainment than ever before.

One of the newest additions to hit the musical stage, “Mama Mia”, is a show featuring approximately 28 songs from the repertoire of 70’s pop band, ABBA. Not to be confused with the tribute show, “Abbamania”, which boasts a cast of entertainers made to look and sound like ABBA, “Mama Mia” is written by Catherine Johnson, a British playwright.

The story revolves around Donna, a middle aged single Mom and her daughter, Sophie. Sophie is getting married and she would like to have her father walk her down the aisle. There is, however, one big problem. Sophie doesn’t know him. Determined to be married with both her mother and father present, she decides to invite her mother’s old flames to the wedding in the hopes of finding out which one is indeed her dad.

The score is written by none other than the two former ABBA males, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Anderson and includes favorite ABBA tunes like ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’ and ‘Dancing Queen’. However, the musical is not about ABBA. The ABBA songs are used as a way for characters to express themselves through the lyrics of these popular 70’s hits. (Oddly enough, if the popularity of ABBA’s music continues, it could surpass their original popularity during the disco era.)

Originally, “Mama Mia” opened in London in the spring of 1999. Currently, Toronto hosts the production at the Royal Alexandra theatre where tickets can run from $25.00 - $115.00 Cdn. “Mama Mia” and “Lion King” are Toronto’s two hottest musical theatre productions this season and “Mama Mia” will enjoy an extended run. North American audiences will also be privileged to attend two other “Mama Mia” productions. Coming to Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre in New York, previews begin October 5th with the official opening set for October 18th. San Francisco will play host to its “Mama Mia” sometime in November.

Besides writing most of the music for the popular singing group, ABBA, and also the score for “Mama Mia”, Ulvaeus and Anderson are not new to the musical theatre genre. It was their original music, coupled with lyrics by Tim Rice that made up the score for the musical, “Chess”.

Go To Page: 1 2