Mamma Mia!
Original Cast Recording
Decca Broadway Records, 2000
REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 12/06/2000
It was inevitable, I guess. With the resurgence in interest inthe Swedish pop-dance group Abba, it was only a matter of timebefore someone wrote a Broadway-bound musical shaped around theirmusic. (Don't forget the movie Muriel's Wedding from a few years ago as well.) It's kind ofa natural fit, if you think about it for a minute. Abba's music wasa bit theatrical in and of itself, and it always seemed to bebigger than the basic structure of the songs. It was almost likelistening to a mini-movie soundtrack.
Who better to create such a musical than Benny Andersson andBjörn Ulvaeus, the two male forces behind Abba? (Side note: Asmuch as I've run hot and cold on Abba's music, I have to hand it toall four band members, who have refused many lucrative offers toreform, preferring to let their music speak for itself. That'sintegrity you don't often see in this business.)
That show, Mamma Mia!, is making its way around the United States now,expected to land in New York in the fall of 2001. Until then,unless you live in one of the cities that's targeted for thepre-Broadway tour, the original cast recording of Mamma Mia! will have to tide you over - and it's not a badcollection.
If you're looking for me to give away some of the plot of theplay - well, sorry, gang, but I ain't gonna do it. I have goodreason, too... I have no idea what's going on (and the official website didn't tell me very much), so you're kind of on your own.
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