“You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I’ll cross the stream, I have a dream”

I didn’t expect this.

Honestly, when we heard MAMMA MIA was returning to Singapore, I was excited and looked forward to watching it again. Not only because we love musicals but because this musical was special – it was the first musical which we saved up a tidy sum to watch in London’s West End back in 2005 and now, nearly 10 years later, we are watching it live…only this time, it’s with the company of our 6 year-old daughter. Talking about having a dream.

This smash hit musical needs no introduction. The fact that it could earn the acting interest of A-list actors like Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth in the 2008 movie adaptation mean something. This current season whose cast hails from the UK is guaranteed to have you tapping your feet, bopping your head, singing along and before you know it, you may just want to stand up and dance! Packed with timeless hits from ABBA that weaves the plot of the lives of a young girl (Sophie) and her single-mum (Donna), both seeking to find their dreams of that one true relationship that matters. The 3 hour long performance was exuberant, energetic and at times emotionally-charged, leaving us wanting for more. For me, it was such a treat to watch ABBA songs performed live, accompanied by the very talented musicians in the orchestra pit.

As I sat there with the familiar scenes unfolding before my eyes, this time it was more than just a big party musical to gyrate and dance the night away. It dawned upon me that it is about finding your own identity, discovering who you are, having the courage to let go of (broken) dreams of days past and the resolve to dream new ones.

We live in an impatient world where dreams are put down and easily dashed, some even before they are even formed. But the beauty of the human experience lies in possessing the grit to go after our dreams, to take on the future even we don’t know what it holds and crossing the stream when it comes. The dreams may not manifest exactly the way we envision them to be but as long as we tried, we can be at peace.

When Angie and I first watched MAMMA MIA in London ten years ago, we had little inkling of the insurmountable obstacles that we would face as a married couple trying to start a family. Today, we looked back in amazement how we pulled through with God’s help. Today, we have a 6 year-old and a newborn baby: dreams which we pursued relentlessly and were realized in God’s perfect timing. Today too, as parents of a daughter in her last day of Kindy, we were moved by Donna’s bittersweet emotions of watching her daughter grow and moving on to a new phase in her life in the powerful rendition of ABBA’s song, ‘Slipping Through My Fingers‘…

MAMMA MIA is the must-watch, feel-good musical which makes for a great date with friends and family. You will enjoy infectious ABBA tunes and leave inspired to follow your dreams.

A word of advice though: if you are thinking of bringing younger kids, be prepared to explain mature themes within like ‘why does Sophie have 3 fathers?’ There are also kissing scenes and couple of suggestive dance moves. Having said that, all these can be effectively ‘masked’ by the rambunctious songs and dance! Thank you for the music MAMMA MIA!

MAMMA MIA MUSICAL

Venue: Grand Theatre, MasterCard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands

Tickets priced from S$95 and up are available from Marina Bay Sands Box Offices, Sistic online or call +65 6688 8826. 

For more reviews of MAMMA MIA, head over to our friends’ blogs:

• A Pancake Princess
• Sengkang Babies
• Edunloaded
• MamaWearPapaShirt

Disclaimer: We were invited to a special preview of MAMMA MIA for the purposes of this review. All opinions are, as usual, ours. Photo credits belong to Base Entertainment Asia.