Tuesday, April 1, 2008

"Thank You For The Music, The Songs I'm SInging, Thanks For All The Joy They're Bringing!" -ABBA



We didn't take many road trips growing up, but when we did there where two artists that where prodominately played when my family and I where all in one car. One was Billy Joel and the other was ABBA. The ABBA Gold album was played in heavy rotation through out my childhood and so as a result the music brings nothing but good memories and nastalgia for me.


So when I heard about the musical MAMA MIA and how all the music was the hits of ABBA I knew it was a show I HAD to see! And it was everything I dreamed it would be!










This is what Wikipedia has to say about it. . . . .I figured they could explain it a little better then me.








Mamma Mia! is a musical with a book by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. It is an example of a jukebox musical, and is notable for popularising the genre.
Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the musical's plot has nothing to do with the story of the group itself.
Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, who composed the original music for ABBA, have been involved in the development of the show from the beginning. Anni-Frid Lyngstad has been involved financially in the production, while Agnetha Fältskog has not, though she was present at the Swedish premiere and final show.
The musical includes such hits as "Super Trouper", "Dancing Queen", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", "Thank You for the Music", "Money, Money, Money", "The Winner Takes It All", "Voulez Vous", "I Have A Dream" and "SOS". It had been seen by over ten million people worldwide as of July 2003.[1] Estimates of 2007, is that 30 million have now seen Mamma Mia!. Since its opening in 1999, the production has grossed US$2.0 billion in earnings. [2]
A film version of Mamma Mia!, starring Pierce Brosnan, Meryl Streep , Colin Firth, and Amanda Seyfried began filming in June 2007 and is scheduled for a Summer 2008 release.


Here's another synopsis of the plot from Wikipedia. . . . .Warning Spoiler ALert!!!!



The story takes place on a fictional Greek island. Sophie, a 20-year old English girl, discovers her mother's old diary and finds entries which describe intimate dates with three men ("Honey Honey"). Sophie believes that one of these men is her father, and sends each an invitation to her wedding without letting her mother know.
The day before the wedding, Sophie's mother, Donna, begins receiving guests at her taverna. The first to arrive are her two best friends: Tanya, a rich three-time divorcée, and Rosie, an unmarried woman who likes to have fun. The three women catch up and talk about how life has treated them, ("Money Money Money").
Later that day, three men arrive: Sam Carmichael an American architect, Harry Bright, a British banker, and Bill Austin an Australian writer. Sophie convinces them not to tell Donna that she invited them, ("Thank You For The Music"). Donna walks into the taverna just as Sophie walks out. She is very surprised and more than a little devastated when she sees her three previous boyfriends all in the same place at the same time, ("Mamma Mia").
Tanya and Rosie find Donna in her room with her head under her pillow. They try to cheer her up, ("Chiquitita"). Donna confesses to her friends that she doesn't really know who Sophie's father is, but all three candidates have arrived at the taverna. Twenty years ago, the three of them were a singing group called "Donna and the Dynamos." Tanya and Rosie try to convince Donna that she can still be the girl that she once was, ("Dancing Queen").
Sophie had hoped that she would know her father the moment she saw him, but she is more confused now than ever. She tries to tell her fiancé Sky how she feels without actually confessing what she has done. Sky tries to cheer her up but assuring her that he will be all the man she ever need, ("Lay All Your Love On Me"), while his friends whisk him away for his stag night.
At Sophie's bachelorette party, Donna, Tanya and Rosie don their old costumes and perform a song ("Super Trouper") as Donna and the Dynamoes. Sam, Harry and Bill accidentally walk in on the party and are persuaded to stay ("Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"). Sophie first pulls Bill aside to talk with him. She learns that Bill has an aunt Sophia who left all her money to family. Bill learns that Donna built the taverna with money she inherited from a friend she lived with when Sophie was a baby. They both realize that he is probably her father.
Sophie finds Bill outside. He says he needed to get some air. Sophie asks him to walk her down the aisle. Bill wants to discuss it first with Donna. This has been her secret after all. No one has yet guessed that Donna doesn't know who the father is. Sophie insists, ("The Name of the Game) and finally, Bill agrees.
Back inside, Sam pulls Sophie aside and tells her that he has figured out why she invited him. He "knows" that he is her father, and he promises to walk her down the aisle tomorrow. Sophie is speechless. Then, Harry approaches Sophie apologizing for being so slow on the uptake, and he also "knows" that she's his daughter and promises to walk her down the aisle tomorrow. Sophie leaves the party, hopelessly confused ("Voulez-Vous?"), and ushers in an intermission.


That night, Sophie has a nightmare involving her three possible fathers all fighting for the right to walk her down the aisle, ("Under Attack").
Donna finds Sophie in her room. She is upset. Donna assumes that Sophie wants to cancel the wedding and offers to handle all the details. Sophie is offended and vows that her children will not grow up not knowing who their father is. As Sophie storms out of the room, Sam enters and tries to tell Donna that Sophie may not be all she seems, but Donna does not listen, ("One of Us"). Sam was probably the man Donna cared about most, and they both wish that they could go back in time, ("S.O.S.").
Harry asks Tanya what the father of the bride ought to be doing for Sophie's wedding. Tanya explains that for her part, her father gave her his advice and then paid. Pepper, one of the men who works at Donna's taverna, continues making advances toward Tanya, who rebuffs him ("Does Your Mother Know").
Sky finds out what Sophie has done in inviting Sam, Harry and Bill to the wedding. He accuses her of wanting a big white wedding only so that she can find out who her father is. He is very hurt that she kept this plan a secret from him. He storms off just as Sam walks in. Sam tries to give Sophie some fatherly advice by describing his failed marriage, ("Knowing Me, Knowing You"), but Sophie is not consoled.
Harry finds Donna in Sophie's room and offers to pay for the wedding. They reminisce about their fling, ("Our Last Summer"). Sophie arrives and Donna helps her get dressed. She cannot believe her daughter is going to be a bride, ("Slipping Through My Fingers"). Donna admits that her own mother disowned her when she learned that she was pregnant. They reconcile and Sophie asks her mother if she will walk her down the aisle. Sam arrives as Sophie leaves the room. He tries to speak to Donna again, but she does not want to see him, and asks him to leave. He refuses, and a bitter confrontation ensues. Donna tells Sam how he broke her heart, presumably when she found out he was married, ("The Winner Takes It All").
Rosie is making final preparations in the taverna when Bill arrives. He's upset because he has received a note that Donna will be walking Sophie down the aisle. Bill reaffirms his commitment to the single life, but Rosie urges him to reconsider, ("Take A Chance On Me").
The wedding begins, with Donna walking Sophie down the aisle. Sophie calls a halt to the proceedings. She is not ready to get married. Sam seizes his chance and proposes to Donna in order to prevent the wedding preparations from going to waste. Donna accepts, ("I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do"). The issue of Sophie's parentage is finally settled, or rather left unsettled, as none of them have any idea whether they are actually her father; everyone involved agrees that it does not matter which is her biological parent, as Sophie loves all three and they are all happy to be "one-third of a father" and a part of her life at last. Finally, Harry, who has made frequent references to his "other half" throughout the show, is revealed to be in a committed homosexual relationship with a man named Laurence (Nigel in some productions and Peter in the Russian version). In the end, Sam and Donna are married, and Sophie and Sky depart on a round-the-world tour, ("I Have A Dream").
But they don't say anything about the finale which was my favorite part of the show almost! They come back out in there crazy ABBA inspired spandex outfits and sing "Mama Mia" (of course) "Dancing Queen" and Mine and Nette's favorite "WaterLoo" and I was going crazy at that point! I was dancing and singing along and I left with a warm and happy feeling in my heart! That show was great and I urge you all to see it if you have a chance!
Or atleast check out the movie when it hits the theatre. . . . I know I am!!!!


Ladies . . . . what do you think about these outfits for Halloween this year? Dibs on the chubby girl with wings!!!!


PEACE OUT!!!!!!

2 comments:

Monkeys ARDently In Sinc said...

I never really knew about this play, but thanks to your description, now I want to see it!
Thanx for the info!

Anonymous said...

if you got dibs on the winged girl, then i call the promiscuous Mommala!