[NEohioPAL] Review of touring "Mamma Mia!" at PlayhouseSquare

[Bob Abelman]

The appeal of 'Mamma Mia!' is purely chemical 

 

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times Courier

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review will appear in the News-Herald on 7/20/12

 

While the moral at the end of "Mamma Mia!" is that true love comes but once in a lifetime, the musical itself apparently comes with much greater regularity.

 

The national tour of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' global smash hit has visited Cleveland in 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2009.  It has been here so often that the downtown billboard promoting the current production at the Palace Theatre in PlayhouseSquare states: "You Already Know You're Gonna Love It." 

 

There may, in truth, be some Clevelanders not yet sucked into the vortex of this musical's kitschy charm and upbeat rhythms, like the last holdouts in the sci-fi film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."  For those resolute few not among the over 50 million pods. uh, people who have seen this show on national and international tour since its 1999 West End and 2001 Broadway premieres, some details about the story would be instructive, although not necessarily insightful regarding its astounding success.

 

"Mamma Mia!" is about an independent, single mother named Donna (Kaye Tuckerman) who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island.  Her spirited daughter, Sophie (Chloe Tucker), is about to get married to Sky (Happy Mahaney) and invites three men from her mother's past to the wedding to discover which is her father.  These men-an American (Christian Whelan), a Brit (Paul DeBoy) and an Aussie (John Michael Zuerlein)-are joined by Donna's adorable friends and former band mates, Tanya (Alison Ewing) and Rosie (Mary Callanan), as well as Sophie's equally adorable friends, Ali (Stephanie Barnum) and Lisa (Elena Marisa Flores).  

 

Yes, these characters are the stuff of a situation comedy and this plot is a bad episode. 

 

Worse, the story is merely a vehicle to string together the songs made famous by the Swedish pop group Abba during the black plague known as the disco era.  These '70's songs-which constitute the entire score and are accompanied by a band-sized orchestra armed to the teeth with synthesizers-often erupt with little cause or clear connection to the storyline.  The Spanish-flavored ''Chiquitita," for example, comes out of nowhere and is turned into a hilarious number performed by Ewing and Callanan.  ''The Winner Takes It All," beautifully sung by Tuckerman, seems woefully out of touch with what is happening at this point in the story.

 

Playwright Catherine Johnson is not above writing inorganic dialogue to merely facilitate the insertion of yet another Top 10 hit whose lyrics are tangentially relevant at best.   

 

Yet, when the dust settles and the dry ice clears, "Mamma Mia!" is actually a very enjoyable show.  Despite the many shortcomings in the material and haunting memories of a horrific film version of this play, all that is occurring on stage is. fun.  

 

The only plausible explanation is that the attraction is purely chemical, as if the show somehow stimulates the pituitary glands of its audience, generating a rush of endorphins that render all things pleasurable despite the mind suggesting-no, screaming--otherwise.  

 

It must be the music.  The pulsating rhythms and recognizable lyrics are so familiar that audience members sing along as if the Palace Theatre was a huge karaoke bar. It is surprising that, during the opening night performance, audience members did not jump onstage and join the cast.  Perhaps cathartic participation triggers pleasure zones.

 

Maybe it is not endorphins at all, but pheromones that are exercised.  Underlying this entire production is romance, from the oversized full moon lingering in the background to the palatable attraction between Sophie and Sky, Donna and her exes, and just about everyone else in the large ensemble.  The production's lighting is constantly shifting into different romantic hues, transforming the simple two-piece set that constitutes Donna's hotel into increasingly desirable locations.

 

Could be an adrenaline rush, for there is nothing in Anthony Van Laast's choreography that is not high energy, outright joyous, and borderline hedonistic.  Everyone in the cast moves and belts beautifully, and offers so much to look at and listen to during the many musical numbers orchestrated by director Phyllida Lloyd.   

 

Whatever chemicals this show causes to secrete, program credits should most certainly include the house endocrinologist and repeat patrons should have blood work done at the door.

 

"Mamma Mia!" continues through July 22 at PlayhouseSquare's Palace Theatre.  For tickets, which range from $10 to $70, visit www.playhousesquare.com.
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