Mamma Mia! Reviews- The play was a very beautiful play

The play Mamma Mia! was a very beautiful play. It was full of laughter and romantic moments. I had really enjoyed the play and the ending was spectacular. The actors/actresses on stage were very enjoy into their characters. They had played them well, and I feel that they understand their characters and felt whatever their characters felt during their scenes in the play. 

I say they are very enthusiastic because, they are acting live in front of hundreds of people, and that could give a jolt of both nervousness and excitement. I think they are very supportive towards each other because, they have rehearsed together and probably know each other really well, so why wouldn’t you support your own friend? The actors/actresses were very well prepared. They didn’t block one another, and knew their characters very well. They said their lines very well and knew which position to be on stage. They were very creative as well. They had used the same props and the same settings, and had made it into different acts and scenes. It could get boring because you’re seeing the same background all the time, but I think it’s creative idea and a smart one too, to use the same background, and make it blend throughout the play. Their performance were just as creative as their props. They sang really well, acted really well, and their performance has made me felt touched and laugh, and for me, I think that’s a sign of a good actor/actress.

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I say that they had a read the script together before they start rehearsing the play. When I saw the play, I didn’t heard any muttering or any stammering that gives out a sign that they had forgot their lines. And The lines that they were saying, matched the lines from the movie adaptation of Mamma Mia. I say they had used the script at first to memorize the lines, and had used it as well when they just started to rehearse the play. There’s a chance that they improv during the performance that we didn’t know about, because the lines that they were improving blend the scene as well. They also may have asked their friends to run lines with them, as a way to memorize and understand the content of the line. For characterization, they probably saw other Broadway acts or Theatrical acts that were doing the same performance (Mamma Mia) as them, so they know how they should act their characters during rehearsal and during the performance. Other than that, they may have watched the movie adaptation and saw how the actors/actresses portray their characters, so they can have an example of what their characters are like, and felt like during a particular scene. Blocking must have been done during rehearsals. There’s a chance that the actors/actresses may have some problems with blocking during rehearsals, and the directors had guide them during the way, so they wouldn’t make the same mistake on blocking during the final performance. I say they had a vocal coach to work on their voices and intonations. If it wasn’t a vocal coach, the actors/actresses may have asked their co-workers, or their friends from their play to see if the way they are saying their lines, are the right way to say it. In other words, the right intonations. I say the volume comes from a mike hidden inside their shirt, so their voice could be heard loud and clear throughout the theatre. The same goes for the singing. It’s either they had sang live, or were lip-syncing their own voice, with a better quality (Studio version). For the movement, it’s very clear that they knew which way and which position should the actor/actresses go to. They must have remembered which position they should go during rehearsals and practices for the performances, so during the performance, they wouldn’t get confused on which way to go.

Character in Mamma Mia!:
Donna: She is a very strong character. She doesn’t let anyone get in her way, especially when she needs to plan her daughter’s wedding. She enjoys having fun with her two close friends and her daughter. She has a strong relationship with her daughter Sophie, and she is scared of letting Sophie go, once she gets married. Their relationship could be seen as really close, when Donna helped Sophie get ready for her wedding and she was excited, but sad as she remembered Sophie when she was just a child. She is a hopeless romantic, since she has been in a romantic relationship with three men, and it is clear that Donna loved them very much. She is a hard worker as she needs to maintain and looked after her Villa. And when she wanted to fix a window in her room, her friends told her to chill and relax.

Sophie: Sophie is a dreamer. She dreams and imagines big things that are both possible and impossible. She even dreamt of meeting her father in who she has never met for her whole life. She is very curious and wants to explore and find new things. She is curious because she likes her questions to be answered, especially when she was curious to know who her father was, and even went and stole her mother’s diary. She likes to explore because when she and Sky both decided to not get married, they both went out to explore what’s outside Greek. She cares a lot about her mom and loves her too. It is shown that they both have a strong mother and daughter relationship, and Sophie just wants to make her mother happy. 

Sky: Sky loves Sophie very much. He really cares about her as well. But even though he loves and cares about Sophie, he got mad when she lied to him and didn’t told him that she invited all three of her dads. Sky just wanted Sophie to tell him so he would now what’s going on and Sophie wouldn’t go behind his back.

Sam: Sam is an architect and loves Donna. He is a hopeless romantic. And even though he doesn’t clearly know that Sophie is actually her daughter or not, he still cares about her. He even asked her what’s wrong. This shows that Sam wants to know if she is all right as a sign of affection.

Tanya: Tanya is one of Donna’s best friends. She is a fun woman that is living her life the way she wants it. She doesn’t let anyone comments get her down. She is also a fashionista and care about her looks.

My favorite character has to be Tanya. I know she’s not everyone’s favorite character, since most of people’s favorite character is a main character. Mostly either Donna or Sophie. I did consider both of them to be my favorite characters, but then I prefer Tanya even more. Even though she is some sort of diva, she still cares about two of her best friends and Sophie. When Donna was sad after meeting Sam, Bill, and Harry, Tanya and Rosie was the one who comforted her until she was happy again. She also helped Donna in distracting Harry, and doing something she doesn’t like, just for the sake of her friend. For me, there’s more to Tanya than what she actually still on stage. She would help her friend, even though that means doing something she doesn’t want, and embarrassing herself. I understand her because I have a friend that has a similar personality as her. She is fun, carefree, and doesn’t really care about what other people think about her.

Synopsis of Mamma Mia! :  Sophie sent out an invitation to three men to come to her wedding. The next day, when two her best friends which are her bridesmaid as well, came to the island, Sophie told both of them about how she invited her father to the wedding, and there are three possible men that might be her father. She expressed her happiness about finally meeting her father in singing “Honey Honey” with her best friends as well. When Sophie finally met her fathers, she had thought that she knew who it really is when she first saw them, but she doesn’t know. Her mother Donna eventually found out and doesn’t know that her daughter was the one who invited the three of them, so she kept them a secret from her. Sophie, wanted it to be surprise during the wedding, and so she doesn’t say anything to her mother. When all of them finally found out about the truth, it is known that Donna also doesn’t know who is the father as well. So the three men (Sam, Bill, and Harry) decided to become 1/3 of Sophie’s father. When Sophie and Sky decided not to get married, Sam took the chance to propose and marry Donna at that exact moment. Donna said yes, and all of the characters reciprocate their love. Sophie and Sky then went on and left the Island to go explore what’s outside of the Island.

I was satisfied with everything except the background, and decorations. The costumes were perfect and just like the ones from the movie. It fit the situation of the scene very well, and even though they rarely changed their costumes, they didn’t make it seem boring. The props were amazing. They really make it blend with the setting and the background of the scene. And it doesn’t look like some made up props that they made last minute. The set decorations weren’t that satisfying because there were only a few on the stage and throughout the play. The only decoration they had was leaves dangling from the ceiling and they didn’t change it throughout the play. And the two buildings that would always shift on each scene, and it was boring to see that all the time. The lightning was perfect, and they really shined it on the characters on the stage, whether they are talking or not. The sound was perfect too. I could hear the sound of the characters as they were talking throughout the play, and sound was loud and clear. The quality of the sound was great too, especially the singing.

The elements of Drama that were important in this performance have to be the characters and plot. The characters were amazing characters and they really need to touch the hearts of the audience, as the play can make you really sad, laugh, and happy. To make someone feel emotional, even though it’s just  play, you really need to connect with the audience and understand the emotions and feelings of the characters. The plot is another element of drama that is important. This story has an amazing plot that makes the audience very curious and wanting to know more of what’s going to happen and how it’s going to end. Not only is it amazing, it’s a very strong plot and it gets people to be buzzing with curiosity. 

If I had an opportunity to create a similar performance, I would create the ending differently. I would let the audience know who Sophie’s father is. That’s all I have wanted to know since I watched the movie and even until now. I really want to know who the father is, and that’s what I would do when I could change the performance differently.

As an audience, I have learned that just by using a small amount of props, you could use it at other scenes or throughout the play. I also learned that the feeling excitement and curiosity comes from the plot and characters of the play. If it weren’t for the storyline, we wouldn’t get the story and the play.

I did enjoy watching the performance in the stylized genre. It’s a mix of romance, comedy, and family. It’s very nice how it’s a mix of different genres; by than, you won’t have to be bored with the performance for focusing on for example, it’s romance. There might be some people who are interested in that, but there are also some people, who prefer to laugh once in a while when watching a performance.

The actor-audience relationship was quite nice, and if I would have to rate it, it would probably be a 7 out of 10. Because there are some scenes in which they do build a relationship with the audience, and sometimes they don’t. But I could see they are trying by looking at the audience when they are talking their lines and smiling at them as well. I think they would build up the relationship more if they had asked the audience a big question, in which we don’t have to answer. That why, there’s at least some connection along the way. The ending of the performance was a really good relationship with the audience. They encouraged the audience to stand up, dance and sing along with them. That’s a really good actor-audience relationship, because somehow they communicate with the audience into standing up and having fun.

What I have learnt about the level of skills needed for this musical Mamma Mia!  is that, I really need to improve more on my acting and singing skills. I need to improve on my acting because my acting is not as good as them, since they are professional Broadway actor/actress. I need to be a better at my acting skills, so I could get to make someone emotional just by seeing my acting. I also need to improve on my singing skills as doing a musical, you need to have a good voice when you sing, so the audience would like the voice and listen to the songs throughout the play. 

written by Christina Ericka