Spotlight: MAMMA MIA! Live in Manila

We all know the story of Sophie and her quest to have the perfect wedding by having her father walk her down the aisle. But not everything in life is easy and Sophie learns that the hard way when she, who had initially thought she'll know who her father is once she sees him, doesn't know who between Sam, Bill or Harry who is the man of the hour--comes the story of Mamma Mia!

Unlike my other spotlight entries on this blog, I won't go into the details of the plot anymore. [Come on people, there's a movie and a sequel already. Get to watching!] I'll be going straight to my thoughts on this International Tour.

THOUGHTS:

Firstly, this entry might be a tad bit bias because it's ABBA. Who doesn't get the urge to sing and dance whenever an ABBA song is playing? Timeless classics like Dancing Queen, the title song Mamma Mia, Super Trouper and many others will get your foot tapping and have you mouthing the words with the cast.

Perfect segue to bring up the cast. THE CAST! The many different trios, young and seasoned, had immense chemistry. Shona White (Donna). with her two Dynamos, Helen Anker (Tanya) and Nicky Swift (Rosie) will capture your hearts and will have you laughing out loud with their crazy antics. Sam, Bill and Harry (played by Tamlyn Henderson, Matthew Rutherford and Daniel Crowder respectively) gave us a simmering bromance triad of such joy even if their characters had only met there and then. Not only where their acting spot on, their voices mixed well with each other that you would think they were all born to perform together.

Though, I couldn't say the same for the younger cast. Sophie's vocals seemed to stand out whenever she had songs with Ali and Lisa. Unlike the seasoned cast, where their voices blended wonderfully, the younger cast had one overshadowing the others.

But the little upside was made up for completely with their acting. The sisterhood that Sophie, Ali and Lisa (Lucy May Barker, Leisha Mollyneaux and Lottie Henshall) had reflected so well on stage. Same could be said for Sky and his two friends, Pepper and Eddie (Phillip Ryan, Matt Jordan-Pidgeon and Michael Nelson).

But besides having their own circle of trios to act with, there were times that trios intersect. One such stand out of course would be "Does Your Mother Know". It was an amazing performance, full of energy led by Helen Anker and the younger cast. Another incredible stand out that will have you laughing out loud would be "Take A Chance on Me" by Rosie and Bill. I'm pretty sure Nicky Swift and Matthew Rutherford enjoyed that just as much as the audience did.

But if anyone really stood out, that would hands down be Shona White. If someone had told me that in this musical there would be a cast member who would sing three different songs consecutively without a break, with three differently people, ending with a powerful song such as "The Winner Takes It All"...I would have worried for that poor actress. But Shona White was utterly amazing in each one of them and she deserved a standing ovation just for that. [I kid you not. Three songs all in one go. Hands down, amazing!]

But if there's one thing that I could point out which makes MAMMA MIA such an amazing, one of a kind musical...it's the ending. One I cannot really put into words how much I love and how I wish all other musicals could copy. Just, if you weren't moving to the beat of ABBA songs during the musical itself...you will certainly be at the end. As my cousin had said it, the ending of MAMMA MIA transformed from a musical to a literal dance concert and you will stand up and scream your heart out.

OVERALL:

The past few Spotlight entries of this blog were all local productions. This is an International one which would mean it's a tad expensive as compared to the other shows I've blogged about.

As a big musical fan, I always say that the prices of the tickets are worth it. For MAMMA MIA, it is totally and immensely worth it. Ending alone will get you your money's worth. It's a musical, dance concert all rolled into the price of one!

At a time where we are facing with such a pessimistic world view, where bad news is the only things gracing are lives day in and day out. It's nice to have such a feel good story mixed with great songs and incredibly music to make our week.

MAMMA MIA is a story not just about facing past actions. It's a story of friendships growing stronger through time. A story about searching for one's identity not just by looking to the past but moving forward. Finally, it's a story about love, and that if fought for, would be worth every suffering and hardships endured.

Details:

MAMMA MIA, the International Tour will be performing in The Theatre at Solaire until October 21. Get your tickets now from TicketWorld!

Run time: Close to 3 hours with a 20 minute intermission number.
Souvenir Program priced at 700 [or 750, I forget the exact price but it is in that range], other souvenir programs like shirts, jackets and umbrellas available. [Note: They are selling theatre glasses at 450 (or 400, again in that ranger). I promise you, even if you are seated close to the stage, it is worth it!]
Disclaimer: It's pretty safe to bring children to watch the show. Just be a little prepared with some explanation if they ask about certain things [if you get my drift.]