By John Quinn
I caught the national road tour of "Mamma Mia!" in 2003 and I thought I'd revisit to pay my respects. More to the point, I wanted to see how she's holding up. There are plays time cannot age, some grow old gracefully, and there's some where you couldn't hide the wrinkles if you applied greasepaint with a putty knife. So how is "Mamma" doing? Pretty darn well, thank you. The old girl isn't ready for the rocking chair yet.
Do I need to give background? Do you live under a rock? ABBA was a Swedish quartet that knocked out hit after dance hit between '72 and '82. "Mamma Mia!" is an evening of 22 songs by group members Benny Andersson and Bjoern Ulvaeus, loosely stitched together by a book by Catherine Johnson. It was a serendipitous union – the London production is about 12 years old and the Broadway show is coming up on 10. "Mamma Mia!" is performed around the world in 14 languages. I understand it was even made into a movie that inexplicably became the top-grossing musical of all time.
Donna Sheridan (Kaye Tuckerman) is a free-spirited, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island. Donna's 20 year old daughter, Sophie (Chloe Tucker), is about to be married. For Sophie's wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong girlfriends – often-married Tanya and never-married Rosie. The three comprised the "first girl-powered band" Donna and the Dynamos 20 years earlier. Out to find the identity of her father so he can walk her down the aisle, Chloe brings three men from Donna's past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. That would be Sam (John Bisom), the American architect; Harry (Paul DeBoy), the British banker; and Bill (John-Michael Zuerlein), the Aussie author/adventurer. Ah, but which one is Daddy Dearest? Not even Donna is sure. Sex was like that in the '70s. Sam's assurance, "Buildings are like children, you always know your own" is oh, so wrong.
It's a pleasant plot, but we're not here for the plot; we're here for the music! ABBA's music is engaging and infectious – so much so that if you get a song like "Dancing Queen" or "Take a Chance on Me" stuck in your head not even penicillin can make it go away. I anticipated the heads of the 40-and-up crowd bobbing in time with the overture; but I was really struck by the big number of enthusiastic kids, not yet born during the group's glory days, groovin' on the tunes.
"Mamma Mia!" is girl's night out and the "girls" OWN this production. Petite Chloe Tucker sings the prologue, "I Have a Dream," in a delicate, childlike voice that leaves us totally unprepared for the moment she reaches deep down in her diaphragm for a beltin' "Honey, Honey." Also remarkable is Kaye Tuckerman as Donna. Her versatile, vibrant performance neatly spans the range between the brassy disco numbers and her edgy, emotional "The Winner Takes It All." Make no mistake – pop music or no, this is a difficult, complex score and finding voices the can handle it with such gusto isn't easy.
The "Dynamos" are well named and were audience favorites. Tanya (Alison Ewing) and Rosie (Mary Callanan) are gifted with some of the funniest lines of the night, and each makes a star turn in their individual solos. When the trio assembles, the harmonies are just right.
In tough economic times there's an instinct to cut corners – and employees – to save money. "Mamma Mia!" boasts a gratifyingly large ensemble and a six-piece combo that, taken together, sound a lot bigger than one would expect. So here's a tip of the hat to music director Bill Congdon. The set is scaled down for this tour, but you'd never know it. It's accompanied by a flexible lighting design by Howard Harrison, who has worked magic in evoking place, time and mood in the simple play of light on the pale planar surfaces of the set.
All in all, "Mamma Mia!" is a blast from the past. It almost makes me want to relive the 1970s – minus the platform shoes, bell bottom pants and that awful mustache I had in '74. Where did I store that eight-track player?
REVIEW:
'Mamma Mia!'
Fisher Theatre, 3011 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit. Daily through April 17. $29-$85. 1-800-982-2787. http://www.broadwayindetroit.com
