Mamma Mia

For someone who has been brought up listening to ABBA, who absolutely loves and adores them, even enjoyed the movie, it’s a no brainer that when you get the chance to witness the Broadway musical based on their music, you just go for it. 

Yes, there’s no Meryl Streep, or Christine Bransky, or Mrs Weasley, I mean Julie Christie (damn I do hope I got the name right), but you are going for your love of ABBA, the actors just bring their song to life. 

So you went for it for your love of ABBA, for the love of musicals, for the love of song and dance, and sure as hell, the show didn’t disappoint. In fact, it was freakin awesome!!!!!

In many ways it reminded you why we need music and dance in our lives, cause without song or dance what are we (to borrow a line from Thank You for the Music). In many ways a song can bring us joy, it can move us, make us forget our cares for another day.

So in those few hours you leave your worries  behind and transport yourself to the isle of Greece, to sing and dance to songs you love so much, that are beloved to all. 

You just can’t help but sing along to every song cause you know the lyrics to every song, like the back of your hand. You tap your feet to the music and sport a broad smile. You even tear up a bit, moved by the ones that hold a special meaning to you. 

These are the songs which you have grown up listening to and you still do. Somewhere you feel sorry for a generation who would never know and never care for these songs.

You get all caught up in the euphoria, the energy with which the actors and performers sing and dance. And this euphoria and energy is contagious, and it wraps everyone in it.

Soon you realise that you aren’t the only person singing along and tapping your feet. There are many in the audience who are doing the same, enjoying every minute of the musical.

Though the sets weren’t as grand and elaborate as they were for The Sound of Music and The West Side Story, they served the purpose and let the musical pieces be the star. 

Everything was just the way it was meant to be, right from the singing, to the choreography, to the lighting, to the orchestra, to every musical sequence. You knew you were in for a treat when the orchestra belts tunes from the show and you can’t  help yourself and sing a long, getting all excited about what is to come. Though you wished there were less talking and more of the musical numbers, but then these were just minor quibbles.

The actors sang, danced and acted amazingly. In fact, it caught me by surprise the number of time the men were bare-chested, but hey who’s complaining about that, we all need a sight for sore eyes.

Everything felt right, full of energy, fun and entertaining. And the energy on stage drifted off it and into the audience who were already having a wonderful time. They cheered and clapped and tapped their feet and sang along enthusiastically. In fact they radiated way more energy than all the spectators of the recent cricket World Cup final combined.

By the time the show reached its encore they were up on your feet, cheering and dancing and singling along. And you couldn’t help but join them, enthusiastically clapping and dancing and singing along to Dancing Queen and Waterloo.

I can’t quite remember when was the last time I had this much fun watching a musical (well I think it was when I had gone to see the movie).

When it came to the end you couldn’t stop cheering and hollering and screaming and clapping, things that are so you. It was the most fun you had ever had in a very long time. You didn’t want it to end. How you wished  it to go on and on. You loved every single moment. You loved how it made you forget all that was troubling, that was stressing you. You loved how it made you feel. You were grateful by the end of it.

You just wanted more and more.

Now all you wanted to do was sing and dance and write and talk about how love this musical and how you ready to see it all again!!!!