This wasn't our first Broadway musical as we also attended the touring production of Chicago a few years ago. Chicago was amazing by the way. I would highly recommend seeing it if you ever get a chance! We also saw Will We Rock You in Toronto when we stopped there for a couple days as part of our honeymoon trip to the Dominican Republic. It was also fantastic.
Back to Mamma Mia! It was really interesting for me because I've seen the movie based on the musical several times. I had associated the characters with the actors that played them in the movie. When the show first started, it took me a few minutes to stop comparing the show with the movie. The beginning of the musical was very similar to the movie and it was almost disappointing. I was used to seeing the two lead characters as blondes, not brunettes! Fortunately, the next scene started to differ from the movie and it helped me get back into the show and stop comparing. It's kind of ironic in a way. The singing and dancing in the Broadway performance is significantly better than the actors in the movie. I mean, it's really not hard to top Pierce Brosnan's singing talent (or lack of talent) but he is so good looking and has such a charming personality that you somehow enjoy his singing despite the fact that it's clearly not very good. Same goes for Colin Firth's character. He isn't the best singer either but he has such a charismatic personality that it really doesn't matter.
Once I put the movie vs. Broadway show comparisons aside, I was able to sit back, relax and enjoy the show. I appreciated the amazing singing abilities of all the performers but the lead actress that played Donna really stood out. Her name is Kaye Tuckerman and her credits included the films Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolution. We found this intriguing since she looked so much like the main female character in the movies but we didn't recognize her name. Upon further research, we discovered that she was a stand-in for the lead character Carrie-Ann Moss. Another actor that really stood out was Happy Mahaney. Yep, that's his real name according to the program. He was a fan favourite especially among the women in the crowd. In addition to being really good looking, he also had a great sense of humour. In one scene, he was able to laugh at himself and the audience's reaction when he wasn't able to get his wetsuit on. I'd be interested in hearing if this was an accident or staged. I think it was a mistake but Jeremy thought it was part of the show. Any ideas?
Now to my favourite part of the show. I loved the scene with the men singing and dancing in the wetsuits and flippers. It kind of reminded me of Mary Poppins with Dick Van Dyke dancing around with penguin feet. It was hilarious and had everyone laughing. My least favourite scene was the psychodelic dream sequence that immediately followed the intermission. I'm still not sure what that was all about. I think the writer must have been high on something when he wrote that part of the show.
Obviously, we weren't able to take any photos of the show since cameras are not allowed. All I've got are the tickets, the program and the memories. I am sure we'll watch more Broadway shows when they come to Regina...it seems like there's one every year or two. What I'd really love to do someday is see a "real" Broadway show in New York as I imagine permanent sets are likely more elaborate. Just the idea of watching a Broadway show in New York sounds more exciting too! I'd be interested to see if it's better than the touring shows.
Now that I've seen this show...next on the list of 100 Things (well, it's only about 50 right now but I'm still listening to suggestions to help me add to my list) is a visit to the pumpkin patch in a couple weeks from now. It might seem like a trivial thing to do but I've never done it and it seems like something everyone should do at least once.
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