♬ Mamma Mia, ♪ Here I Go Again ♩My My, How Can I Resist You? ♫...

For people like us, who grew up in the "Dancing Queen" generation, watching Mamma Mia was pure pleasure. How we wished we could interact with the show!

Once the musical started, I kept reminding myself not to hum, lip sync, nod my head, tap my feet, or play invisible drums with my hands because theater etiquette dictates that one should respect and not disrupt the viewing experience of other people.

But it was quite hard to resist.

Ever since I watched Mamma Mia in Las Vegas, I've longed for the musical to be shown here in Manila (see Petition Post here: Mamma Mia in Manila! 2009?).

Finally, Mamma Mia opened last night to an enthusiastic and dancing crowd in Manila. :)  

The International Cast sings "Dancing Queen" during the Mamma Mia Manila Presscon. (video by TheFashPack)

I love how the ABBA songs are nicely integrated in the mother-daughter story without sacrificing the storyline, veering away from becoming an ABBA tribute concert (at least until the last part).

It is a story of 2 generations of women-- The Mother's Generation: Donna Sheridan (Sara Poyzer - center) and her friends Rosie (Jennie Dale - right) and Tanya (Kate Graham - left).

Jennie Dale got louder applause in the end for the wacky portrayal of her role and take on the song "Take a Chance on Me".

Sara Poyzer's performance was a bit tentative (at the start)-- I could sense the drama but not the energy in her performances. The energy picked up after "Chiquitita" and "Dancing Queen" scenes.

I can just imagine how fun this would be if the roles were played by Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (as Donna Sheridan), Rachel Alejandro (as Tanya) and Bituin Escalante (as Rosie).

The Daughter's Generation: Sophie Sheridan (Charlotte Wakefield - center) and her friends Ali (Rosie Heath - right) and Lisa (Tasha Taylor Johnson - left).

Sophie Sheridan (as played by Charlotte Wakefield) dictated the emotions and energy of the entire show with her quest to discover the identity of her real dad.

At the start, Charlotte was not able to connect with the Filipino audience. Some of the punchlines did not work and the timing was off at the beginning. But after the songs "Thank you for the Music", the crowd started loving her more.

The Fathers (left to right): Sam Carmichael (Richard Standing), Bill Austin (Charles Daish) and Harry Bright (Matthew Lloyd Davies) provided the comic relief in this dramatic-yet-feel-good story.

If this was locally adapted, I think we can expect funnily outrageous performances from the trio of Calvin Millado, Joel Trinidad and Felix Rivera.

   
Mamma Mia is a musical that touches on the theme of love and its many facets -- true love, lost love, cougar love, long-lasting love, etc.

The "Voulez-vous" dance number was explosive! You have to see it for yourself...

The ensemble's dancing abilities were quite impressive -- I loved the part where they had a dance showdown.

Whether you enjoy watching the pretty girls...

or the guys more...

...there's plenty to see in Mamma Mia. :)

This reminded me of the "La Vie Boheme" sequence in Rent. It was just FUN FUN FUN!

I also loved the final scene, which ended on a sweet, endearing note.

Overall, I was expecting more oomph and connection with the audience from this International Cast. I still like it for feel good story line and the nicely integrated ABBA songs. 

Mamma Mia is definitely a must-watch show for all theater fans. Thank you for staging Mamma Mia in Manila!

This will be one of the most talked-about musicals in the metro for 2012 -- don't miss it!

MAMMA MIA MANILA!
The International Tour is presented by Judy Craymer, Richard East and Björn Ulvaeus for Littlestar, in association with Universal, Stage Entertainment and NGM.

Official Website: Mamma Mia Philippines

Read the Mama Mia Musical Synopsis

Performance Dates: starting January 24 (limited engagement) 

Performance Times:
Saturday & Sunday 3.00 PM
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday 8.00 PM
Friday & Saturday 8.00 PM 

Venue: CCP Tanghalang Nicanor Belardo, CCP Complex

(Tip: Show starts exactly on time with a 20-minute intermission. No cameras allowed. You can go up the ramp of CCP to be dropped off at the Main Entrance instead of the Side Entrance because of bottlenecks from people depositing their cameras.)

Ticket Prices:
Saturday & Sunday: P7,000, 6,000, 5,000, 3,500, 2,000, 1,000
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday: P6,000, 5,000, 4,000, 3,000, 1,500, 750
Friday & Saturday: P7,000, 6,000, 5,000, 3,500, 2,000, 1,000

For tickets:

Website: www.tickeworld.com.ph

Telephone: +(63.2).891.9999 

Live an Awesome Life,

 
Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Contact me: anton@diaz.ph 

Full Disclosure: We got complimentary press tickets to watch the show from Mamma Mia Manila Production.

P.S. I close my eyes and throw this petition into the universe:

How I wish we could have a locally adapted Mamma Mia show after the International Touring show is completed. If China can have a locally adapted Mamma Mia in Chinese with Chinese actors, can we have an all-Filipino cast for Mamma Mia?! I can already imagine the energy and comedy that Filipino thespians can bring to the musical! It will be both a telenovela and a party from start to finish. :)

Comments

[enzo]

If they stage this in Manila, I hope they do it in Tagalog.

[Aileen]

I am definitely going to watch this one. Definitely. Haha!

[Athena]

Beautiful photos! Great blog! I love MAMA MIA also. I enjoy their kind of music. =)

[Nutella]

hi Anton!

my family plans to watch on a weekday so it will be cheaper. Is the 1,500 pesos ticket already okay? I haven't been inside CCP main theater so i have no idea how big the place is. help! thanks!

[randy]

hi anton, any seating tips? best bang for the buck seat tips? thanks

[Anton Diaz]

Anything in between the orchestra and the balcony should be fine. The best ones are just above the orchestra.

[Anton Diaz]

Go on a weekday and just above the orchestra area.

[lorie]

we watched mamma mia last night. we enjoyed the play but we were disappointed with our seats. we had 3 upper box tickets. the lights were covering half of our view. we could not see what was happening every time an actor/actress goes to our blind spot. they moved the guys in front of us to the seats below us. we asked if they could move to other seats but they said they cannot do that. but we could change seats w/in our section but there was no other seat available in our section. i hope next time they would not sell tickets to sections where they would put up their equipment so people to see and hear the play.

[ScottBooth]

Mama Mia is one of my favourite musical stage plays. The songs used and the cast as well are all perfect.

live music long island