Hello Blog Readers,

The Favorite shopping links page has been enhanced with even more great retailers that I use myself. If you’d like to check out where I shop for great deals the whole world over, either click the link in the Pages section of the side bar to the left that says “Favorite Shopping Links” or just click here.

Louise Pitre, who was the original Donna in the original Toronto and Broadway casts of “Mamma Mia!” is back with a new show, this time drawing inspiration from the World War II era. The musical, “Could You Wait?” is a show near and dear to Louise’s heart because it affords her a rare opportunity to work with her husband, Joe Matheson. Together with Diane Leah on piano, the trio have crafted a touching story about finding love and being separated by war and posing the question if the pair could wait for each other.

The show showcases the awkwardness of the initial stages of courtship and how long distance relationships can build via correspondence. Each deals with the awkwardness of what to say and what not to say as each letter exchange occurs before ultimately deciding to wait for each other, despite the concerns of their respective parents. The story gets told through the use of actual World War II era songs along with five songs written especially for the show that fit seamlessly into the show as if they could have been hit songs from the era.

The show hasn’t been seen outside of Ontario, yet. But the cast recording is available and it’s a welcome addition to my collection. Mamma Mia! introduced me to Louise Pitre’s wonderful voice, but it was her albums that made me a fan. So when I found out about this cast album, it was a no brainer, and I had to order it, no matter the cost. And the total cost ended up being about $30 US, but worth every penny. Louise and Joe sing brilliantly together and the songs are excellent showcases for their voices. I bet the show the was spectacular to see too. I hope they get the chance to introduce more audiences to it.

(more…)

The International ABBA Fan Club based in the Netherlands has recently posted an edited version of my “Mamma Mia! The Movie” review. It was edited down for space considerations in their printed magazine. The review appears in Issue # 95 originally published in June 2008. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the issue, they can be ordered directly from the fan club. Go to www.abbafanclub.nl and click on the “About Us” link and select “Back Issues Of The Magazine” in the left column.

I’ve included the review here, it was edited down by Ursula Esser, a friend of mine from the UK, and I think she did a brilliant job condensing the original 5,600+ word review down to an approximate 1,400 word review. If you want to read the original review, click here. Thanks again to Ursula for her wonderful edit job and the ABBA Fan Club for wanting to publish it.

(more…)

Between the Australian films, “The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert” and “Muriel’s Wedding” helping to usher in a revival of attention to ABBA and their music, it seems that ABBA’s stage musical, “Mamma Mia!” has helped usher in what has been dubbed the era of the “Pop-sical” a musical based on established Pop music catalogues. While a lot of musicals based on bands and movies have been short lived, some such as “Hairspray” have gone onto success in both stage and movie form. In truth, a stage musical based on “The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert” has more in kin with “Hairspray” than it does with “Mamma Mia!” in that both Priscilla and Hairspray are the musical adaptions of films, it’s that Priscilla’s film actually has several key references to ABBA.

No doubt due to the fact that ABBA’s catalogue has now been transformed into a successful musical in it’s own right, the powers that be didn’t want to dilute that success by allowing the makers of “Priscilla” the opportunity to use ABBA songs once again in it’s new stage version. In a way it’s kind of sad, but as they say, challenges tend to be the mother of creativity and not to be deterred, the stage musical has adapted in a way to weed out the ABBA references and incorporate a lot of other music not originally tied to the film. (more…)