Mamma Mia! brings ABBA high-energy to the Jube
The Broadway musical delivers exactly what it promises: dancing, frothy humour, and unstoppable Swedish pop songs in full theatrical force.
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Mamma Mia! is running at the Jubilee Auditorium, and if you're walking in expecting to park your brain for two and a half hours, the production delivers exactly that—without apology.
The plot is skeletal: a Greek island, a feisty hotel owner and former singer named Donna (Jessica Crouch), her soon-to-be-wed daughter Sophie (Juliette M. Ojeda), and three men Sophie invites to the wedding in hopes of identifying her biological father. ABBA songs get sprinkled on top with minimal lyrical relation to the story, evoking nostalgia and fun in equal measure.
It's frothy, unpretentious stuff—which is likely why Mamma Mia! has survived and thrived through nearly three decades of touring and hit movies. This current tour delivers high-energy dance numbers, mild humour that wouldn't be out of place in a late '70s sitcom, and at least one sequence involving the waving around of a power tool (though disappointingly, it isn't used).
The production's highlights include a randy dance-off between Donna's pal Tanya (Jalynn Steele) and bartender Pepper (Dominic Young) to "Does Your Mother Know." Dancing Queen lands where you'd expect it. "Take a Chance On Me" surprises with its comedic bite, especially with the very funny Carly Sakolove (as Rosie) delivering the lines.
Some sequences blur together—I've already forgotten what was happening during "SOS," and "Voulez-Vous" flew right past. The little side notes about getting older while chasing youth land with occasional chuckles. Unless you're a devout ABBA or Mamma Mia! fan, your eyes may glaze over during some moments. But the audience enthusiastically received every sequence I felt myself drifting through, which proves the point: not everything is made for everyone. And that's exactly fine.
The Jube has caught a production that knows exactly what it is and delivers it with total conviction. If you loved the movies or you're ABBA-curious, this is your night.