THE BASICS: Mamma Mia at Shea’s Performing Arts Center; 646 Main Street, Buffalo; April 9 – 14; for tickets.
THUMBNAIL SKETCH: Set on a Greek island where the sun always shines, a tale of love, friendship, and identity is told through the hits of ABBA. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the father she’s never known brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited decades ago.
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 40 minutes with 20 minute intermission
THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, AND THE PRODUCTION:
Mamma Mia! is a juke box musical with a sketchy book by Catherine Johnson and with interpolated ABBA songs by Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. The show has had productions all over the world. On Broadway, it ran for almost 14 years, making it one of the longest-running musicals in Broadway history.
If you are an ABBA fan, you are in luck! The show has lots of songs and very little dialogue. It is more like a pop opera than a musical. Many of the songs are superfluous – they don’t advance the plot or help us understand the characters better. In fact, some of the song choices seem downright inappropriate – the daughter sings a love song to her father, the father sings a “break up” song to his daughter.
The simple sets are enhanced enormously by the creative lighting design by Howard Harrison. I was going to give the lighting A+ until the finale when the lights were shining in the eyes of the audience. Between the bright lights and the over-amplified music, I felt like I was at a rock concert. I am one of the few people around who avoids rock concerts.
Alisa Melendez plays the daughter who has invited her three possible biological fathers to her wedding. Ms. Melendez is a lovely ingenue with a pretty voice and a pleasant air.
Christine Sherrill is her mother, Donna, an unfortunately written character who is called upon to be in a state of hysterics much of the night. Ms. Sherrill graces the production with her very solid singing, and she is especially effective with her ballads.
The mother’s fun-loving buddy, played by Carly Sakolove, was the audience’s favorite. I appreciated both the original physical comedy bits Ms. Sakolove brought to the production and her mellow singing voice. “ Dancing Queen” by Ms. Sakolove, Ms. Sherill, and Jalynn Steele was a highlight of the show.
The three potential fathers are Rob Marnell who plays a banker with an odd British accent, Jim Newman who does an amusing (if far-fetched) comic turn as Ms. Sakolove’s extremely sudden paramour, and Victor Wallace who gives the best acting performance of the evening – he keeps it real.
There is a large (for a touring company) chorus of singer/dancers who give their dancing 100%. Unfortunately, when they sing as an ensemble, you can’t understand the lyrics.
This touring production of Mamma Mia is lavish and a light-hearted crowd pleaser.
*HERD OF BUFFALO (Notes on the Rating System)
ONE BUFFALO: This means trouble. A dreadful play, a highly flawed production, or both. Unless there is some really compelling reason for you to attend (i.e. you are the parent of someone who is in it), give this show a wide berth.
TWO BUFFALOS: Passable, but no great shakes. Either the production is pretty far off base, or the play itself is problematic. Unless you are the sort of person who’s happy just going to the theater, you might look around for something else.
THREE BUFFALOS: I still have my issues, but this is a pretty darn good night at the theater. If you don’t go in with huge expectations, you will probably be pleased.
FOUR BUFFALOS: Both the production and the play are of high caliber. If the genre/content are up your alley, I would make a real effort to attend.
FIVE BUFFALOS: Truly superb–a rare rating. Comedies that leave you weak with laughter, dramas that really touch the heart. Provided that this is the kind of show you like, you’d be a fool to miss it!