Mamma Mia!
Reviewed by Katie Buenneke
East/West Players
Through June 16
There is something soothing about the music of ABBA, the 70s Swedish pop group that brought the world such songs as “Dancing Queen,” “Take a Chance on Me,” and, of course, “Mamma Mia!” No matter how out of control the world gets, there’s always ABBA music to ease the soul, and, for the past 20 or so years, there’s been this jukebox musical of their hits to placate the mind.
It’s hard to imagine that anyone reading this review is unfamiliar with the plot of Mamma Mia! due to the ubiquity of both the original 2000 staging of the musical (play by Catherine Johnson) and the 2008 movie (directed by Phyllida Lloyd). But in brief: Sophie (Grace Yoo) is 20, and about to marry Sky (Max Torrez) at the Greek hotel her mother, Donna (Joan Almedilla), runs solo. Sophie wants her dad to walk her down the aisle, but there’s a small problem with that idea — neither Sophie nor Donna knows who Sophie’s dad is. It could be any of the three men Donna dated the summer she became pregnant: Sam (Alan Ariano), Harry (Danny Bernardo), or Bill (Michael Palma). She invites all three to the wedding, but nothing goes according to plan.
The cast in East/West Players’ production is majority Asian American, and it’s great to see such a diverse ensemble onstage. This is a show that’s often cast in varying shades of white, but there’s no reason it needs to be that way. However, aside from some brief moments in director Snehal Desai’s staging and Anna Robinson’s scenic design, there’s not much acknowledgement of the cast onstage. Given that there’s nothing about the story that is specifically Greek, it would have been interesting to see the creative team employ design elements that dive more deeply into cultures and traditions that have been underrepresented on commercial theatrical stages. Also, it would have been nice to see more specificity in the props and costumes, since the musical is set in the year 2000.
Everyone in the cast seems to be having fun on stage, and thank goodness, because watching ABBA performed with anything less than 100% enthusiasm would likely ruin the cheesy alchemy that makes ABBA work. But the women really outshine the men vocally, especially Yoo’s Sophie and Almedilla’s Donna. They’re a winsome pair, and it’s easy to root for them to find their happy endings. Anthea Neri steals many a scene as Tanya, Donna’s droll friend. Preston Mui’s choreography is ebullient, and carried out admirably by the ensemble.
Marc Macalintal’s music direction is puzzling, as he did very good vocal work with the cast, but the orchestra feels flat and distant, almost like they’re a recording rather than live performers who are in the same building as the show. This is compounded by a few awkward transitions in and out of songs — it occasionally feels like the singers are on their marks, waiting for the songs to start, rather than the music serving as a diegetic extension of their characters’ inner monologues.
Mamma Mia! has buoyed countless spirits throughout the years. After playing in Los Angeles earlier that year, the original Broadway production opened in New York a few weeks after 9/11, and continued to play there for 14 more years. There’s a sense of irreverent optimism to both the music and the show, and it’s a comforting escape for whenever the monsters in the real world start to feel a little too real. In times like these, Mamma Mia! is a delightful coping mechanism.
East/West Players at the David Henry Hwang Theater, 120 Judge John Aiso St., Little Tokyo; Thurs.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; through Jun. 16. EastWestPlayers.org. Running time: two and a half hours with one intermission.
