Images: 
Total Rating: 
**3/4
Previews: 
October 5, 2001
Opened: 
October 18, 2001
Ended: 
September 12, 2015 (at Broadhurst Theater)
Other Dates: 
Ran Oct. 18, 2001-Oct. 19, 2013 at Winter Garden, then moved Nov. 2, 2013-Sept. 12, 2015 to Broadway's Broadhurst Theater.
Country: 
USA
State: 
New York
City: 
New York
Company/Producers: 
Judy Craymer, Richard East & Bjorn Ulvaeus for Littlestar ina ssoc w/ Universal & The Mirvishes. GM: Nina Lannan.
Theater Type: 
Broadway
Theater: 
Winter Garden Theater
Theater Address: 
1634 Broadway (50th Street)
Phone: 
(212) 563-5544
Running Time: 
2 hrs, 30 min
Genre: 
Musical
Author: 
Music & Lyrics: Benny Andersson & Bjorn Ulvaeus w/ Stig Anderson. Book: Catherine Johnson.
Director: 
Phyllida Lloyd
Review: 

There's no getting around that Mamma Mia! is -- as a friend who used to denigrate commercial Broadway product once put it -- crap.There's no defending it on artistic or intellectual grounds. It's a loud, glitzy excuse to shoehorn a bunch of ABBA songs into a ridiculous plot. Like so many new Broadway musicals, the show overwhelms the audience with volume, assuming that decibels will murder dissent. But is Mamma Mia! hateful? Far from it. The writers and performers are, if nothing else, cheerily blatant about the show's dumbness. Just watch how the estimable supporting actresses vamp and dare the audience to guess which song they'll sing next (it turns out to be the lovely, and hilariously choreographed, "Chiquitita").

Louise Pitre is a find as the mother confronted by three ex-lovers, any of whom might be the father of her marriage-minded daughter. No question, hearing a dozen ABBA songs puts those melodies in your head for a few days. Maybe if the volume weren't so shrill, we could even appreciate the show's copy-cat orchestrations, cribbed from Ulvaeus-Andersson's shimmering originals. Certainly the show's airy setting (including a touching, moonlit finale), and its brisk, goofy pace would be easier on the brain if it were easier on the ears.

Parental: 
adult themes
Cast: 
Louise Pitre, Judy Kaye, Karen Mason, David W. Keeley, Tina Maddigan, Tonya Doran, Sara Inbar, Mark Price, Michael B. Washington, Meredith Akins, Stephan Alexander, Kim-e J. Balmilero, Robin Baxter, Brent Black, etc.
Technical: 
PR: Boneau/Bryan-Brown; Set: Mark Thompson; PR: Boneau/Bryan-Brown; Casting: Jim Carnahan; Lighting: Howard Harrison; Sound: Andrew Bruce & Bobby Aitken; Music Sup/Additional Arrangements: Martin Koch.
Other Critics: 
PERFORMING ARTS INSIDER Richmond Shepard ? / THEATRESCENE.NET Jeannie Lieberman +
Critic: 
David Lefkowitz
Date Reviewed: 
October 2001