Mamma Mia!!!!!

A hush came over the crowd at the Colonial Theater last night. No, it wasn't when the lights went down... it was when I walked in.

I took the wife into the Hub last night to see the musical she has been talking about since we met. When I was told that it was coming here, I figured it would be a great Christmas present. Understand, this is a BIG deal. If you knew me, you'd know I'm more at home sitting in the bleachers at Fenway, the nosebleeds at Gillette, or the rafters at the Garden. A sports guy. A sit at the bar and drink beer guy. So needless to say, I was going in the name of Santa Claus.

Going to a musical is a lot like me playing golf - I have no idea what to do. When I'm on a golf course, I know the people in my group get annoyed with me... Can I pick up my ball? Who shoots first? What club do I use for this? Can I shoot again? This isn't a dry course, is it?... Last night, it was my wife who may have been annoyed... Is this the end of the show? Oh, this is intermission - kind of like halftime? Do we stand? Do we clap? Are we supposed to dance too? Can I go to the bathroom?

The surprising thing is - the show was pretty good. It didn't hurt that when the show started we were introduced to the character "Sophie" who was a 20 year old girl played by the "maybe I'm good, maybe I'm naughty" girl next door. This obviously captured my attention long enough to draw me into the story. Note to all musical writers/play writers, if you want a larger, more diverse audience - put cute girls into your shows. You'll make more wives happy as every husband will want to see a musical then. It was pretty funny, and the actors could sing and dance there asses off. Some parts got a little too sappy and dull (read: zzz), but that was only about 10% of the show. So all and all, I accomplished what I set out to do - make the wife happy. She was grinning ear to ear since I told her that we were going and when we sat down in the 3rd row, I think she was in heaven. It made it all worth it to see her so happy. It was a fringe benefit that I enjoyed the show as well.

I saw a poster as we were leaving and I think the people off broadway (or on broadway but touring??? AHHA!... another question)are trying to capitalize on a new demographic - the beer drinking sports fan. How else do you explain Spamelot? I mean, what typical theater go'er likes Monty Python and the Holy Grail? That show should be AWESOME. Coming soon: South Park - The Musical!!!