Just saw Mama Mia at Mandalay Bay, courtesty of Harrahs (via Rio).
Unfortunately I got the "nosebleed" seats, too far up to see faces of
performers which was a major drawback. I was unfamiliar with Abba music, but
enjoyed it very much. Many of the tunes are catchy and cleverly integrated
into the story of a girl who wants to know who her father is, so invites the
3 men who may be her father to her wedding in Greece. Perhaps the musical
would have been better if they had combined Abba songs with a few other ones
written just for the show, which might have fit the plot a bit better, but
Abba fans will enjoy show.
The Las Vegas newspaper had a review of the show which was just plain wrong.
Just because the music comes from the 70's (or 80s - Im not sure when songs
were written), it doesn't make a show "campy." Although some of the songs
are done in a unique, funny style, the tone of the show is serious and is
mostly a love story - mom for daughter, daughter for mom, mom for long lost
loves, loves for youth, daughter for boyfriend, etc.
Show's coreography is good, but not great if you love good dance musicals.
The voices of the leads were excellent, especially the mother and daughter.
Performances were very good, including those of the more minor characters.
My friend and I especially enjoyed the stage design which was a very
interesting, minimalist design. Full orchestra helped make the show a
success, as well as the excellent music and cast. The plot is a little
minimal too, and could have been helped with some better dialog and jokes,
but does the trick of sticking all the songs together.
It seemed to me that many people in the audience knew Abba's music, and
perhaps had seen the show before. MAMA MIA has been a big hit on Broadway,
won Tony Awards, and is now showing in other venues.
The audience gave the show a standing ovation, but since audiences nowadays
give standing ovations to everything, this didn't mean much, but they
obviously enjoyed the show a lot.
When curtain calls come, don't leave, because a finale occurs with some
musical highlights, and one of Abba's best known songs which was not part of
the show (Waterloo) - and it includes more singing and dancing and goes on
for another 5-10 minutes.
Show is a long one - lasting at least 2 hours and 15-20 minutes, due to the
fact that an intermission is included after 1 hour.
Mandalay Bay's theater is fairly big, so try to get down in the orchestra
section, rather than up in the balcony. Of course I saw it for free, so
can't really complain about sitting 1 row from the last (but gee - couldn't
Rio have done just a little better??).
The sound system was excellent though, so the music sounded great and you
could understand every word.
I understand most seats are around $90 including tax. Hard to say if it was
"worth it" or not - that is subjective. If you love Abba or musicals, you'll
love this show. If you enjoy singing and dancing and good spirits, you'll
probably love the show too. The show is fine for kids too, who will enjoy
the singing and dancing. The music and style of the show reminded me of
Broadway shows produced in the 60s, rather than the more modern style (like
Les Miserables or Phantom of the Opera or Rent), especially with the simple
plot - but I didn't care because I love both "old" and "new" style Broadway
shows.
However if I had about $100 and wanted to see 1 show while in Las Vegas, I
would choose "O," which remains my top choice.
Still for the money you get a lot of value, since this is a long show -- some
Vegas shows are now costing about this much but only last for about 1 hour
(like the overpriced Danny Gans - and I definitely would recommend this over
that one for example), and you get singing, dancing, plot, humor, romance, an
interesting production all rolled into one.
Best, Linda
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By the way, my Science Fiction novel "Pacifica" authored with SF author John
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E-book, etc. Cost is about $5.94, less for Fictionwise club members. Direct
link is: http://www.fictionwise.com/servlet/mw?t=book&bi=1746&id=17329
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