Review-Mamma Mia-Lunchbox Productions
26-9-14
By: Meaghan McGurgan
Did you know that Mamma Mia is the fastest selling DVD in the world? It sold 1,669,084 copies in the UK on its FIRST DAY! People are crazy for this show and I can see why. It's really fun. Sometimes we need a show to brighten our mood and wipe away the muck of the terrible things in the world; Mamma Mia is the perfect solution for that.
The show is described as a “jukebox musical” because it takes all its songs from one catalogue and mixes them into a two hour show. For this style of musical, I think Mamma Mia is by far the most successful in using this method to tell a story while honoring the original tone of the songs.
I've seen this show twice before. Once on Broadway in 2004 and on the first US Tour. I was interested to see how a show as successful as Mamma Mia holds up after 10 years of running and what changes they have made to streamline it for touring Asia.
Some of the fun “over the top” features, like the elevator at the end of Act Two and the fibreoptic floor, have been cut for simplicity but overall, the original production design by Mark Thompson and lighting design by Howard Harrison have remained intact and are some of my favorite parts of the show. What Mamma Mia does well is allow you to imagine locations. The set is very simple but effective. There's sparkle, pleather and glitter in the show but it's used for comedic effect and doesn't feel overused. The blue/white color palette of the show puts you in the isle of Santorini immediately.
Some of my favorite performances last night belonged to smaller characters I had never noticed before. I adored Ashley J. Russell who played the Yaya in Act One. I could have watched her knitting and being a grumpy granny all night. Her comedic timing was really solid. Overall, I really enjoyed the “Greek Chorus”. They were in sync, had beautiful extensions and the boys had great height on their leaps. Most importantly, their smiles were infectious. We could tell they were having fun, so we wanted to join in.
Sam (Richard Standing) had the strongest and most appealing voice. He had great tone, a wonderful connection with the audience and really nailed his songs, especially "SOS". Sophie (Niamh Perry) was also very good vocally. And Donna's two besties, Rosie and Tanya, played by Sue Devaney and Geraldine Fitzgerald, were hilarious.
One thing that I think can be improved about the show is the sound balance between the speakers and the mics. I was sitting down in the stalls by House Right and the speaker on my side had the bass turned up far too high. When the music began for the Overture and the Entracte, people jumped in their seats from the sudden blast. It made the hairs inside your ears do that tingly thing. A fade up on the Overture/Entracte would be better, in my opinion, than just having it go on full from the beginning. It would give our ears a few seconds to adjust.
The bass in particular seemed out of balance. At times in Act One, we struggled to hear the performers singing over the “thumpa thumpa”. It seemed to be mainly an issue of getting the balance between the mics, orchestra and speakers correct. Sadly, Donna was the main one we struggled to hear. I was sad that songs like “The Winner Takes it All” and the iconic “Money, Money, Money” didn’t have the same vocal power I've seen in this show before.
Sound issues aside, Mamma Mia is a fabulous show. This is the first time I've seen an entire Hong Kong audience leap to their feet for the ending of a show and dance during the final numbers. I reckon we Hong Kongers are generally not big on audience interaction during performances… Mamma Mia got us up and moving - which is why I think any “Dancing Queen” would really enjoy a night out with this cast.
Mamma Mia is playing at the HKAPA Lyric Theatre through November 2nd. For more information, click here.
Comments
Dottie
Omg!!! Could not agree more about the speaker. My ears still hurt and I nearly pissed myself I got scared so bad at act 2. But might have been all the free moet... Maybe that's why we were all dancing??? Hm....
26 September 2014annie
Fabulous review by an amazingly talented woman.
27 September 2014Piqu Chui
Be strong Meaghan!
27 September 2014
I love your reviews and HKELD.Eva Stevens
Amazing and amazing voices.
02 October 2014