Oh Mamma Mia!

Just got back from watching Mamma Mia! at the Blaisdell Concert Hall and I had a fab time. Went with two of my friends and we all really enjoyed it. The singing and music were great (even though I can't honestly say I'm an ABBA fan).

I'd love to give credit to the actors, but prior to the show they mentioned some stand-ins. I'm not sure who was part of the the original cast and who was an understudy. In any case, it was a fun night out and everyone did a great job.

The dances were just as lively on stage as they were in the movie. It's amazing how many scenes can be constructed using two rotating building/wall structures. The costumes were outrageous . . . so they were wonderful. The lighting was over-the-top disco or mood enhancing. Loved it.

Like in the movie, Donna's two friends are wonderful. They steal the show every time. Donna had a wonderful voice. The only bad part was that it was difficult to hear when she got into the really low or high octaves. Sophie's voice was purely magic.

The guy who played Sam (aka Pierce Brosnan in the movie version) did a much better job than Brosnan did. In fact, his singing was almost angelic. If there was one negative about the film version, it was Brosnan's singing. With this stage version though there were no problems in that area.

I noticed that there were a ton of open seats and the parking lot was pretty empty. This is the last week that Mamma Mia!'s in Hawaii, so if you haven't seen the show yet definitely try to make it out. The last number is so fun and gets the crowd pumped up. This isn't your ordinary musical.

Here's a clip from the Broadway performance: