Review: MAMMA MIA at Bass Concert Hall

I admit it. Of course I do. It's been perfectly acceptable for decades now to admit to lip syching to this or that artist. Or, in Milli Vanilli's case, "non" artist. I must confess, at the risk of showing my age, that the first record I wore out was an Abba single. It was SOS. Many a hairbrush was retrieved from the bathroom to double as a mic in the living room, my parents stereo blaring away. And so it is, here some several (ok, many) years later, that I found myself on the fifth row of the Bass Concert Hall, along with the rest of the lip syncing crowd, practicing restraint from singing along for the sake of decorum and etiquette in the theatre.

We were there for MAMMA MIA- The Farewell Tour. The live musical is much better than the film by the same name, especially the Pierce Brosnan part. It's a more giddy feel good juke box musical than your mother's music (think JERSEY BOYS or ALL SHOOK UP which are pretty good, too.) It's a show that also appeals to a lot of women - and at least one guy, two people down from me, who, despite the program notes to "refrain from singing along to the performance," sang along to almost every song.

As most jukebox musicals, this show is short on plot and long on music. This thinly wrapped story involves 20 year old Sophie, who has been raised on a Greek island by her single mother Donna, who built and runs an inn and taverna. Sophie doesn't know who her father is, but, after stealing her mother's diary, comes to the conclusion that it is one of three men, all of whom she invites to her wedding on the island. Because this is theatre, all three of them show up. Moderate hilarity and a dose of PG rated antics ensue. Donna and Sophie both have their moments with each of the three guys, Harry, Bill, and Sam. This formula also includes: Sophie's two friends, Ali and Lisa; Sophie's fiance's two friends Sky and Pepper; and Donna's two friends Tanya and Rosie. This way, everyone has a dance partner for the finale. Oh, and Donna and her friends were in a girl band in the 70's, so how could they not drag out the costumes and do a concert upon reuniting? It's a musical that requires a little more suspension of disbelief than most, but it's a successfully professionally executed version of Abba's music, so fans should find no argument here.

In general, we are provided with a great deal of excellent theatre here in Austin, and if you swing a cat you'll probably hit an actor or singer/musician. This has the effect of spoiling a reviewer and setting some fairly high standards. In MAMMA MIA we get to see said excellent musical theatre executed with a larger budget. To be fair, it's a wonderful show and a wonderful cast and it's just icing on a delicious cake to have the show roll through town. The cast was shiny and earnest and full of energy. In the case of this production, as I recall from my first viewing mumble-something years ago, the supporting cast members steal the show. The characters aren't complicated and these actors commit to the archetypes of each one. Donna's sidekicks are the over-sexed, tall, thin, thrice married Tanya (Cashelle Butler) who shows the handsome young boys what's what in Does Your Mother Know? Andrew Tebo, who bears a striking resemblance to John Cleese, channels the British Harry with the right dash of bumbling charm throughout, and shows Donna he's a great pal in Thank You for The Music. Marc Cornes as Bill and Sarah Smith as Rosie give their typical short and stout two dimensional sidekick characters an endearing life. Sarah Smith's Take A Chance on Me was my favorite number, and no one owned the stage better than Smith. Shai Yammanee gives Sam a convincing earnestness, which is good because he's gotta get Sophie back in the end. Lizzie Markson as Sophie and Betsy Padamonsky as Donna provide expected straight forward performances for leads, but it seemed as though it took them awhile to get rolling - in this case it's hard to say if this is just the script or the work of the actors.

As one would expect, the technical aspects of this show are beautiful - a simple set resembling the exterior of a Greek inn and taverna against a beautiful shade of blue scrim, a big moon projected high in the sky and a flawless well-oiled and rehearsed ensemble to move things around brings this production an added enthusiasm. There's a curtain call and then we're treated to an Abba mini-concert. It gets the audience to their feet and that's ok, because: Abba.

One final note on this production. I must praise the success of such a show for at least twisting the idea of a leading lady around some. In this show, women over forty take the lead and do it with charm and gusto. This story is driven by women who are, albeit a bit two dimensional, their own people who are living life on their own terms. They have identities that aren't defined by the male characters around them. This show premiered in 1999. These kinds of musicals are less rare these days, but credit is still due. More of this, please.

Mamma Mia is not Les Miserables, but it's loads of fun, and who cares, because: Abba! Get your tickets for this farewell tour quick, the company is only in town for two days.

MAMMA MIA

Bass Concert Hall

January 27th- 28th

Tickets: 512-477-6060, www.texasperformingarts.org, $30-125

Run time: 2.5 hours with a fifteen minute intermission

To post a comment, you must register and login.