‘Mamma Mia’ at Fox a reminder to make 2007 a really Happy New Year

By Daniel Hines
Publisher
America’s Seniors at www.TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com

As the crowd filed in for the opening of ‘Mamma Mia’ at The Fabulous Fox in St. Louis, January 2, there was a sense of anticipation.

The audience included both young and old, ranging from pre-teenagers to somewhat elderly Grandparents.  Those who had seen the show before—and the place was packed with them—were talking about their favorite scenes, while those who had not seen what has become almost a cult-favorite, buzzed with stories about what they had heard and what they were expecting.

By now, virtually anyone who follows musical theater even in the slightest is familiar with the saga of ‘Mamma Mia’…simply put, it’s a collection of music from Abba,  the Scandinavian-based musical group of the 1970s, which, even with the hilariously outrageous costuming of the era, produced some really very good music.

The framework which provides the background for what is really a showcase for the songs is an appropriately far-fetched story of a young woman awaiting her wedding, but who, because she lives with her single mother doesn’t know who her father is.

Presto!  She finds a diary in which Mom describes relationships with three men in the same time period that the daughter was born 21 years before.  She decides to send an invitation to each of the men inviting them the Greek island where Mom has operated a restaurant-bar-guest house.

Of course, all three arrive—along with two female friends of Mom.  Think of ‘The Banger Sisters’ in the extreme.  Now, everyone is in place:  Three perhaps fathers—a recently divorced architect, an Australian ‘Crocodile Hunter’ type, and a refined English banker who really is gay—are joined by Mom, an independent and quite lovely woman, and the aristocratic, hot, beautiful friend and her dumpy, hilarious friend whose clothes always seem to be a bit tight as she tries to squeeze into the dance costumes of the 1970s.

It’s outrageous! It’s bizarre! And, it works!

While the music is the primary attraction, this show, which has companies touring around the world and has been seen by some people dozens of times, requires a careful eye towards casting.  Fortunately, this production met the standards necessary to provide the glue that holds things together.

Laurie Wells, a truly beautiful woman, plays the Mom, Donna Sheridan.  She has a wonderful singing voice, and brings a proper mix of strong independent woman, hard-working Mother, jilted lover to her role.

Carrie Manolakos plays her daughter, Sophie.  She has a soft, understated signing voice and is appropriately confused with her dilemma of trying to find out who her father is.  Sometimes, she relies too much upon acting like a younger 2007-teenager rather than a 21-year-old raised by such a strong woman as Mother Donna, but she is riveting with her final song of the evening, “I Had A Dream”.  She has a beautiful voice, but as sometimes happens when groups play the opening at The Fabulous Fox, the sound is a bit low, and the performers don’t realize they must compensate with more projection.

There were instances of that in this opening, especially where Ms. Manolakos was concerned, but they were remedied as the show progressed.

Lisa Mandel plays the much-married, wealthy and aristocratic friend Tanya, a role which it seems she was made for.  She is beautiful, a talented performer and a woman who has absolutely t he longest legs I believe I have ever seen.  When she rejects a youthful, horny pursuer with ‘Does Your Mother Know’, she is at her best.

Laura Ware, as the overweight Rosie (No, Donald Trump, it’s not that Rosie—this one is lovable) has one of those roles that performers must dream about.  She can play it to the hilt for pure laughs and Ms. Ware delivers, especially when her hormones kick into gear as she seduces Aussie maybe-Father Bill Austin with ‘Take A Chance on Me’.

The maybe-Fathers interact with each other and with Donna with just the right touch.  Sean Allen Krill is a truly endearing example of a man who failed to follow his dreams of making the sketch of an island retreat he made as a youthful architect for Donna into reality. 

The role of Harry Bright, the gay English banker was played for the opening night performance by Kurt Andrew Hansen.  He brought sensitivity to his performance in which his sexual preference is understated until the finale when he reveals it for the first time.

Milo Shandel is wonderful as the blustering, sometimes pompous but really insecure Aussie Great Hunter, Bill Austin.  And, he is really funny.

Special kudos for Enrico Rodriguez, a scene-stealer who plays Pepper, the oversexed employee who works at Donna’s.

But, it’s still the music that attracts people.  There is a reason that goes even deeper, I believe.  When a nation’s people are burdened with the heaviness of war, the drudgery of day-to-day living, it is the theater to which they turn for escape and fun.

If one doubts that, they should go to this show and hear the audience begin its buzz as they anxiously await the reprise in which the cast does a host of Abba music, complete with the stars coming out in the outrageous costumes…”Here it comes…” “They’ll do it now…” and even while waiting, the audience was already standing and dancing.

‘Mamma Mia’…it’s the Fox’ way of saying ‘Happy New Year!’