MAMMA MIA! - When I Called From Glasgow ...

After more than a decade of MAMMA MIA! being well-known in popular vernacular - first as a West End show and then as an abominable though surprisingly popular film starring Meryl Streep and Colin Firth - the ABBA-based cultural phenomenon is meant to be no more than good fun and light entertainment. Even when ABBA made their breakout debut on Eurovision in platform boots and skin-tight Lycra, the performers didn't really seem to take themselves too seriously. Hence, the musical MAMMA MIA! is not intended as high art.

The singing of Sara Poyzer, who plays Donna, is marvelous. The women who play her best friends and the back-up cast are star. Charlotte Wakefield as Sophie was a little uneven in her singing to begin with but warmed up to her potential to give riveting performances, in the matinee performance I saw. Richard Standing, who happens to be Sara Poyzer's real-life husband, plays Sam. The men in her life seem to be cast as types rather than for their vocal chords.

I caught the MAMMA MIA! show at the West End several years ago and don't recall the show having so much swearing and lewd gestures. Though billed as a family show, I found myself a bit squeamish as there were loads of children in the audience at the Sunday matinee show. I'm not sure if the show has undergone a few alterations to push the limits in engaging the audience in scintillating, even gratuitous, behavior that doesn't add to the show's entertainment value.

Overall, MAMMA MIA! is a decent show offering fun entertainment for two-and-a-half hours. It's an amusing diversion to whittle away a few hours with catchy music, nostalgic disco dancing and low-brow comedy.