"The choreography is mostly stuff you could try, accident-free, in your own backyard. And the score consists entirely of songs made famous in the disco era by Abba, music that people seldom admit to having danced to, much less sung in their showers. Yet these elements have been combined, with alchemical magic, into the theatrical equivalent of comfort food."
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"They’re not dancing in the aisles at Mamma Mia! anymore. Shows do fade. The taverna looks flimsy and cramped on the Broadhurst stage. But its real appeal, beyond those songs, has always been its innate sweetness, and that’s a joy."
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"Almost two dozen hits by ABBA form the spine of this worldwide smash, which book writer Catherine Johnson has feebly fleshed out into a mother-daughter comedy-drama. As theater, Mamma Mia! is forgettable. As a delivery system for pop-culture nostalgia, it’s ruthless."
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"I found the score neither unbearable nor something I'd miss if I never heard it again...I would not discourage anyone interested from attending Mamma Mia!. But I wouldn't encourage the doubtful, either."
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"If you're an ABBA fan, read no further. Just line up at the box office for "Mamma Mia!" Immediately. Since you're already bonded to the material, you will undoubtedly have a wonderful time. If, however, your attachment to ABBA is only tangential or, as in my case, nonexistent, you might want to think twice about it."
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"“Mamma Mia!,” which weaves a few threads of romantic comedy around a bumper crop of old Abba tunes, is a thoroughly preposterous show, but it’s also a giddy guilty pleasure...the star of the show is those unnervingly catchy songs, that work happy magic on one’s serotonin levels."
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"The musical based on the songs of Abba, is a silly affair all around, and that's its greatest asset. Feather-light, simple, pure pop, set the tone for the evening and provide the lingering sentiment. And feeling is ultimately all that matters with an enjoyably vacuous show like Mamma Mia!"
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"Mamma Mia! offers one of those nights when you sit back and let a nutty kind of joy just sweep over you. The score is a nostalgic parade of 22 songs from the alphabetically challenged Swedish pop group of the ’70s. And when you get to the coda finale keep your seats, it ain’t over till it’s over, you’ll be so happy you’ll think you’ve just become a grandparent."
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