By Sandi Masori
SAN DIEGO — It’s been a hard month not only for all of us in the Jewish community, but for the entire San Diego community. With all of the unrest and strife happening, the audience at Broadway In San Diego’s Mamma Mia was ready to let loose and revel in the joyous ABBA songs that make up the backbone of this whimsical show at the Civic Theatre.
For those who have never seen the play or the 2008 movie, the show centers on the upcoming wedding of Sophie (San Diego native Alisa Melendez) and Sky (Grant Reynolds). Sophie wants her long-lost father to give her away but has just recently learned that her dad could be any one of three men. So, without telling her mom, she invites all three to the wedding. The memories and relationship connections are told through the ABBA discography.
Unlike many musicals that have a song or two that everyone in the audience knows and go crazy for, when the entire soundtrack is made up of pop hits, it’s a different game all together. Every song seemed to have a little extra accompaniment from the audience as they couldn’t stop themselves from humming, singing a few bars or otherwise joining in on the songs- especially the more fast-paced ones. And for the biggest hits, like “Mamma Mia,” “Dancing Queen,” and “Money Money Money,” you could see the audience trying to restrain itself from an all-out sing along. But don’t worry, the wise producers and directors of the show knew this would be an issue and ended with a 20 min sing-and- dance-along curtain call that to the delight of the audience just kept going and going.
It felt like the audience was ready to feel all the joy and roll around in it. And joy was the emotion that really came through the show. Rubber-faced Carly Sakolove killed it in her role as comic relief and one of Sophie’s mom’s (Christine Sherrill) best friends. Her counterpart played by Jalynn Steele stole the spotlight as well. Every time the two of them came out on stage it was with a burst of energy and laughter. And did I mention their voices? This cast can sing!
Also worthy of mention are the three possible dads played by Rob Marnell, Jim Newman and Victor Wallace.
The ensemble numbers were also a lot of fun and brought joy with their whimsical blocking and choreography.
The set was very simple, using a lot of blue fabric and lights to give the feel of the Greek island where it’s set. They also used some cleverly designed walls that turned at different angles represented the inside and outside of various locations around the island.
In a side note, just to get in a bit of a Jewish angle, ABBA rose to fame after winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974. Israel regularly competes in Eurovision and has won four times. Ok, I know that was a stretch, but I wanted to get it in there.
Back to the show, if you’ve been feeling stressed with the happenings of the world of late, this is a great remedy and way to change your mood. Using the ladies room after the show I heard quiet humming and song coming from just about every stall and people just couldn’t help themselves from letting the song bubble out. So go and let the songs bubble out of you too. Playing through Sunday Nov 12, It’s a guaranteed mood changer.
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Sandi Masori is a food and theatre reviewer for San Diego Jewish World. When she’s not covering food or theatre, she helps authors self-publish, hangs out with her kids, and searches for the best sushi in town.