That One ABBA Musical

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Since the rights for non-professional theaters were released this spring, have you noticed that just about every local theatre is planning to do Mamma Mia during the 2019 season?
I thought these theaters were trying to capitalize on current events with the new movie that just came out, but the facts below prove that movie or no movie - theatre goers around the world cannot get enough of this show!

  • Mamma Mia! is the longest running jukebox musical in Broadway history and the 9th longest running Broadway show. It opened on Broadway in 2001 and closed in 2015. Whoa! 
  • Unlike other jukebox musicals where the story follows the life of the musician (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and The Jersey Boys), Mamma Mia! has its own story with ABBA songs woven in. The story is adapted from a 1968 film Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell.
  • Mamma Mia! has played in over 50 countries (honestly - look at the Wikipedia list here) and on  6 continents.
  • In fact, Russia can't get enough of it and it is the longest running musical in Russian history.

You're probably saying "Well that's because it's basically an ABBA concert." And that's true to an extent. The megamix at the end of the show is the only megamix I actually like (I'm looking at you, Joseph) and the cast usually encourages the audience to stand up, sing along and generally carry on as if you were at a concert. But I think there's something to be said about the story as well. It's charming and cheesy in all of the good musical theatre ways. Three dads? Sure! A hippie mom who used to be in a girl group with sweet costumes? Naturally. It ends in a wedding? Shakespeare would be proud!

I think it's easy to discount the shows that just make you smile and feel a little gooey on the inside. I've let people convince me that theatre without depth isn't important. That shows that aren't there to have some deeper meaning or make you think for days afterward aren't good. But don't fall for that trap. Because like beauty, good theatre is in the eye of the beholder. Besides, Mamma Mia! deals with the most relatable topics: love, following your heart, and not being afraid.

This is my long winded way of saying that I really want to go see Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Anyone wanna come?

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