Time travel is one of the joys of living to “that certain age“….
Last night a quick trip into Philadelphia’s still-glorious Academy of Music at Broad at Locust streets gave me one of those yanks to the past that not only evoked old memories, but formed new ones as well.
The event was the Philadelphia opening of a tour of “Mamma Mia,” the smash Broadway hit built around the hits of 70s’ Swedish super-group ABBA. The show is part of the Cadillac Broadway series and continues through July 27.
My midsummer date with ABBA started with a light pre-show dinner on the 19th floor of the Bellevue, just a mini-stroll from the academy. A wrap-around balcony offered views of the city from under colorful orange umbrellas while the interior of the restaurant is exquisite, boasting a domed ceiling bedecked by what can best be described as giant strands of pearls dropping from the dome earthward.
Dinner was simple: A Caesar salad (fresh, heavy on anchovy and garlic, and deliciously sprinkled with hand-shaved Parmesan), pea soup (I know it sounds odd!) But imagine a white oval ramekin arriving at the table with just a sprig of watercress, 5 or 6 fresh peas and two crisp, fried onion rings resting on the bottom. Next came a tiny pitcher with a hot green elixir – fresh pea puree with a zap of spiciness, poured overtop the aforementioned ingredients. Ah, as heavenly as the smell of fresh cut grass in June. This was followed by a dessert of “compressed” chocolate cake --- a fudgy confection served with an intense Thai-inspired Café du Monde cream --- bitter coffee ice cream atop a froth of white chocolate seated next to the cake.
I mention this culinary start to the evening because I want to underscore the fact that “travel” can be to destinations as nearby as Center City. Long distance is not necessarily the path to discovery. And discovery is what my definition of travel is all about. So, during this gas-conserving season, think about a similar trip: Sweden, by way of the 70s, by way of Philly….. An exciting triumvirate of adventure accomplished close to home in a short space of time!
If you want to up the travel-ante, stop into Teuscher’s, Swiss chocolatier in the Bellevue lobby, and buy a decadent chunk of cocoa to take to the theater for an intermission snack. (By the way, the chocolate is flown in every day on Lufthansa! We’re talking traveling chocolate, here, folks…) But beware of the cost: It runs $75 a pound – so a little dab’ll do you….
In the academy, an able pit orchestra started the engine on that proverbial time machine… First a hard driving, demanding beat… then familiar, pervasive melodies… and finally the joy of sensory overload, heaped on by lights, costumes, bodies in motion!
So… here’s the deal. “Mamma Mia” in this touring edition absolutely rocks the house. Oh sure, it’s a guilty pleasure to admit that I love (L-O-V-E) this Broadway detour into the razzle-dazzle of Disco. I can already imagine some of you (Gordon? Gary? Kevin? John? Others?…) shaking your collective head and asking, “How could she have gone so wrong?”
Well, perhaps I am a wayward music appreciator, but I’m not alone! The Academy of Music was packed with similarly wayward souls who waved, raved and shook the rafters with cheers and applause as the ABBA power portfolio made itself known throughout a tale of lost love regained.
Part of the thrill of the estrogen-charged “Mamma Mia,” to those of us who happen to love the ABBA sensibility, is in discovering how this parade of worldwide mega-hits are woven into the context of a made-for-Broadway book.
Characters give a sense of increased meaning, humor and even intensity to music that might have otherwise been considered only a catchy toe-tapper. Standouts that come to mind are --- OF COURSE -- “Dancing Queen,” the ABBA anthem that to this day sends me into my own twirling reverie. In this show, it is performed by three mature women looking back to their own days in the spotlight of life. It’s joyful, humorous and ultimately the most hummable moment of the evening.
Surprising poignancy brings a dramatic thrust to the show when the lead character (a mature woman who is rediscovering a long lost love) performs “The Winner Takes It All.” Susie McMonagle in the leading role of Donna handles the potent delivery, crafting and shading the song with emotion wrought by a man she had love, lost, and then suddenly rediscovers.
If you have even a single disco move left in you, this is THE ticket for the summer. Oh yes, there are spandex moments, little white boots, even strobe lights. But there are also all the other youth-renewing numbers: “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)”, “S.O.S.,” “Super Trouper,” “Take a Chance on Me” and so many others. Oh, and one other thing…. When you leave the theater, very possibly you’ll emerge, yet again, “…the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen… Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine. You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life…See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen…”