Mamma Mia! – Only If You Love ABBA

For those who are unfamiliar, “Mamma Mia” is a famous Broadway production that weaves a narrative through ABBA songs. The plot itself is quite uncomplicated: Sophie, a young woman in her twenties, is on the verge of getting married on a picturesque Greek island. Raised by her single mother, Donna, Sophie is resolute in unraveling the mystery of her paternity. Using her mother’s diary, Sophie narrows her search to three potential fathers and invites them to her wedding, unleashing a whirlwind of confusion.

I personally wasn’t super impressed or hooked into the main premise of the musical, btu that’s not what people go to watch “Mamma Mia” for. The narrative is propelled exclusively through song and dance – and with some of the best of ABBA one is never bored. Well almost, as the cast breaks into its 10^th song, one sighs and begins to wonder when this all will be over.

I watched an Indian production in Hyderabad and I think it remained very true to the original context and didn’t try to ‘localize’ the setting. The dance company had put up beautiful props to evoke a European setting, lovely costumes, light and sound effects. The choreography was obviously the strength of the whole show. I really enjoyed the dance numbers. Overall I felt that the musical was nice but a little long, but that’s my take on most musicals.