Does Your Mother Know Mamma Mia! is back?! - by Henry Halverson

-


The global smash hit musical Mamma Mia! is nearly 30 years old, and just as popular as ever. Mamma Mia! first opened in the West End in 1999, before transferring to Broadway in 2001. Since then, the show has toured the globe and performed for more than 70 million people in 60 different countries. In 2008, Mamma Mia! The movie was released, grossing over $706.4 million, becoming the highest-grossing live-action musical of all time. But most famously, the show is set to the hits of ABBA!

This was not the first time I had seen this show and probably won’t be the last. It was also not the first time I had seen this specific tour, so expectations were fairly high going in. The show was very fun as always, to say the least, but it did not meet the high standards. To start, the show was miscast. Although everyone involved was clearly talented, not one person quite fit the character they portrayed. Jessica Crouch (Donna Sheridan) had a very large voice that filled the venue, but sounded almost like a rock singer, with the rasp of her voice. Alex Lanning (Rosie) and Kristina Walz (Tanya) were great, but didn't entirely give the energy you expect of the characters. Lanning played a giggly Rosie that didn't feel authentic. “Chiquitita” and “Dancing Queen,” which are usually the highlights for me, were fun, but not showstopping by any means. Now, I do have to give credit to Walz, whose “Does Your Mother Know,” alongside Dominic Young (Pepper), brought my favorite performance of the night.

Despite the imperfect casting, the excitement of Mamma Mia! did not stop. With the music of ABBA live, it's impossible not to have a good time. The bows and encore inspired a 3-song sing-along and standing ovation, with the iconic matching dynamo costumes for Donna, Rosie, Tanya, and the dads. Additionally, Lanning redeems herself slightly in “Take a Chance on Me.” The song is hilarious to begin with, but Lanning brought a new burst of Rosie energy we had not seen.  She ran around, chasing Harry (Rob Hancock)as he knocked over chairs trying to escape her clutches.

Overall, the talented cast did not hit the spot, but the show itself filled in the gaps the cast left. Whether you know the musical already, have seen the movie, love the music of ABBA, or are just looking for a good night at the theater, this is the show for you. Catch Mamma Mia! at the Orpheum Theatre before it wraps up its run in Minneapolis on September 20.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

‘The Phantom of the Opera’ Lands in Minneapolis, Haunting and Stunning as Ever by Peyton Webb

-
Image
Daniel Lopez as Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny and Jordan Lee Gilbert as Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera North American Tour Photo: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman Over a year after the conclusion of its record-breaking Broadway run, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera is back to enchant theater-goers across the nation. The North American tour hit the Orpheum last Friday, November 21, the second stop of its highly-anticipated return. Producer Cameron Mackintosh promised “a dazzlingly fresh version of the much-loved original,” and dazzlingly fresh he delivered, indeed. This updated Phantom reopened in 2021 at His Majesty’s Royal Theatre and was applauded by London critics and everyday fans alike. Now, the production has come to haunt American stages, and it’d be a shame to miss the wondrous horrors it brings. The newer version maintains much of the late Maria Björnson’s original award-winning designs. Her magnificent sets feature the grandness and ornamentation of a...
Read more

Chicago Review by Katelyn Keyes

-
      From the beginning, one thing that is very clear about Chicago is that it knows how to make a statement. The stage is black, save for the performers lit by spotlights in the center that seem to tease the audience with their talent in “All That Jazz.” The song creeps along, slower than I would have thought, but sizzling with the Chicago fire that runs through the veins of this show. Velma (Claire Marshall), who leads the song, sings it softly but with such control that the power was akin to belting her heart out. What stuck out as a theme to me of this show was control, a hand on the reins, pulling back just enough to get us audience members to lean in.  Another example of this control is in the choreography, by Ann Reinking (and Bob Fosse originally) and re-created for this production by Gregory Butler. The dances accentuate the energy of the show; in “All That Jazz” it was full of small movements like shoulder shrugs, but done with such impeccable synchron...
Read more

A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical Review - by Peyton Webb

-
Image
Two brown armchairs face each other on an otherwise empty stage. One is occupied by an empathetic counselor, eager to listen. In the other sits a bitter old man who was once a king of rock. And thus, the scene is set for A Beautiful Noise . (From left) Nick Fradiani as ‘Neil - Then,’ Robert Westenberg as ‘Neil - Now’ and Lisa Reneé Pitts as ‘Doctor’ in A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel The Tony-nominated 2022 musical presents the life and times of legendary singer-songwriter Neil Diamond. The guitar-clad performer is an imposing, prolific cornerstone of American music history, boasting 37 Top 40 Hits, a Grammy, and a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A Beautiful Noise depicts a modern, retired Diamond (“Neil Now”) in therapy. He unpacks his life through a series of flashbacks beginning in the 1960s (“Neil Then”). Directed by Michael Mayer, Beautiful Noise ’s Broadway tour opened in Minneapolis on Tuesday for a nearly full house, which seeme...
Read more