ABBA’s return to polyester will come via film; the Broadway hit Mamma Mia!, musically based on the band’s songs, is being imprinted onto the celluloid substitute even now. The cast, which includes Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, and Pierce Brosnan, is currently filming on location, namely, the Greek island of Skopelos. The movie’s projected release date is summer 2008.
Mamma Mia's musical numbers will feature ABBA favorites such as Dancing Queen, I Have a Dream, and Take a Chance on Me.
If we take movies like Moulin Rouge, The Producers, Hairspray -- and now, Mamma Mia! -- as evidence of a pattern, 21st Century Hollywood seems to be experiencing a musical revival. Unfortunately, today’s film musicals often fall flat (and short) when compared to the splashy, charming Golden Age productions of Busby Berkeley and Stanley Donen.
Though I believe that the era of sparkling celluloid song-and-dance pictures has passed, perhaps Mamma Mia!, which enchanted theatergoers in its staged version, will prove to be just as winning to movie audiences. I suppose classic movie musical fans will just have to "take a chance on" this one.
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