Is 'Mamma Mia' more fun in the Philippines?

A few hours before the hit musical “Mamma Mia!” opened at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Tuesday, the entire cast was brimming with energy.

 

It's not difficult to see why. If anything, their enthusiasm was contagious. During a press preview at noon on January 24, the cast performed “Mamma Mia!” and “Dancing Queen,” arguably the two most popular songs in the show. It's difficult to say which song is the one more loved, because this is ABBA we're talking about, and everyone has a favorite.  

Apart from great music, several factors contribute to the show's popularity. For one, it's funny. Humor plays a big part in the show's success, says Kate Graham, who plays Tanya, one of the best friends of Donna Sheridan, the mother in the story.

 

"If people took it very seriously, it wouldn't work at all. The fact that you're shoehorning songs into a story has to be done with a certain element of tongue-in-cheek, and it's very important in this kind of dramatic traumatic situation, that people find it funny. And the comedy arises from the ridiculousness of the situation," says Graham. She shares that in certain places, a language barrier gets in the way.

 

"If we have subtitles sometimes they laugh after the joke. So sometimes it takes us a bit of time to get used to it, but here I think everybody speaks such fantastic English people will get the humor," she says.

 

Another reason for the show's appeal is it has something for audiences of all ages.

 

"I think they can look forward to a cross-generational shared experience. Because sometimes we look at the audience and we see a grandmother, and a mother and a granddaughter, and they'll all be laughing and loving it for the same reasons. That's what's special about it. It's a great family thing and people enjoy it on all different levels," says Graham.

 

As for Elena Brown, understudy for Sophie Sheridan, who plays the daughter in “Mamma Mia!,” the finale is the most enjoyable part. "Some audiences feel that they're quite reserved throughout the whole show, and the finale is when they get up and show their appreciation. We've never had a finale where that didn't happen," she says.

 

Oliver Savile, the understudy for Sophie's boyfriend Sky, agrees. "It's the end of the show, the audience [members] are all up on their feet. It's just so exciting. Everybody's together," he says.

 

Richard Standing, who plays Sam Carmichael, one of Sophie's possible fathers in the story, says the show is more fun than you might expect.

 

"It's got fantastic songs that they'll know and can sing along to. The first time I saw it, I found myself laughing, I found myself crying, and I found myself jumping up and down. You might be surprised how much you enjoy it," he says.

Generic and infectious

 

It's easy to get absorbed while watching “Mamma Mia!” because the story is generic enough to apply to everyone, and at the same time, the songs are so infectious.

 

"It takes some of the best pop songs you've ever heard, it puts them in a context and it makes it fresh. It gives you the story and you sort of feel like you know the story as it goes along, there's an element of 'of course, of course!' You're almost egging it along because the songs come out and you're like, 'I love this song!' It's not just a pop song, it makes them excited, it gives them energy," says Matthew Lloyd Davies, who plays Harry Bright, another possible father for Sophie. 

 

The cast is particularly excited to be in Manila, because they've heard that Filipinos love to sing. "We hope people join in and sing the songs. I think that would be great," says Sara Poyzer, who plays Donna Sheridan. 

 

Poyzer adds that the cast is really optimistic about ending their tour in the Philippines. "We hear that people really love singing in the Philippines. If they sing the whole song, that's just great," she says.

 

On opening night, Poyzer asked a delighted crowd, "Gusto niyo pa?" The theater burst into applause and cheers, and just as the cast hoped, everyone was on his/her feet, singing at the top of his/her lungs, arms swaying to the music. –KG, GMA News

 

"Mamma Mia!" runs until February 19 at the CCP Main Theater. For tickets, call (632) 891-9999 or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph.