Mamma Mia, Here We Go Again!

---

This past week was an exciting one, but also a marathon one.

Tuesday night, Ainscow and I met up to go see Wicked. Our plan was to have dinner and then walk over to the theatre district to watch the show. Good thing we checked last minute to make sure I knew where the theatre was because it was actually a 20 minute tube ride away! We ran to the theatre to pick up our tickets, and sat down at exactly 19:30, right when the play was scheduled to start. Lucky for us, they were two minutes late and we had time to catch our breath before the curtains were raised.

The musical was amazing, as usual. The Elphaba was by far the best that I've seen, and I've now seen this musical at least four times. Actually almost all of the cast was fantastic, with the exception of a couple who seemed to be having an off night. Ainscow and I splurged on the stall tickets, and we were close enough to catch some of the ribbons that shoot out in the opening number.

After the show, we stalked the stage door behind the theatre. Apparently, this is perfectly normal in London as they have ropes set up so you don't mob the cast as they are leaving for the night. Ainscow and I got pictures with most of the cast, and were able to talk to them for a few short minutes. The highlight of the night was definitely getting a picture with the lead who plays Elphaba. It was hard to recognize her at first because she wasn't covered in green make up. The cast members come out all at random times, and they are mixed in with the pit and stage crews. Some of the crew members are really funny, coming out and saying "ok who wants my autograph" and since a lot of people sit where they can't see the actual cast members' faces, people rush over before they realize it's not one of the stars on stage.

Wednesday night was my favorite. Ainscow has connections to one of the conductors, so we got even better seats than Wicked for half of the price. We sat in the row they reserve for non-performing cast members and their families. Before the show, we got a back-stage tour of the entire theatre--we even got to walk on stage and take pictures on the set! We also go to see where the pit plays, the wings, where they keep all of the clothes, and where the stage manager sits so he can direct and cue everyone.

While Mamma Mia is not my favorite musical plot wise, it has some really good songs and the vibe from the cast made it my favorite thus far. Because the musical is not as popular as Wicked and Phantom of the Opera, I don't think the cast is tired of having people come up and want pictures with them. So, after the show, Ainscow and I again stalked the stage door. This time, however, there were no ropes and we were one of the only people waiting to meet the cast. Since no one was on stage in bright green make up this time, it was a lot easier to spot who was who as they were leaving. Most of the cast stayed and talked to us for a bit while we were waiting for other people to come out. While the cast of Wicked came out separately, the Mamma Mia cast came out often in groups, laughing and talking about how the show went. Again, Ainscow and I got pictures with most of the cast, but the best part was when the male lead came out. We were standing outside talking to some other cast members, and this guy comes out and says "you must be Chelsea and Chelsea!" and Ainscow and I look at each other and are like "how do you know our names??" After talking with him for a while, he invited us out for drinks with the rest of the cast! Now that doesn't happen every day.

---

Photos

On Stage!
On the stage of Mamma Mia!

Comments

[Mamie]

Great London Theater Experience
Well, Chelsea, sounds like you are getting the full London theater experience. London has terrific theater, maybe even better than New York. I always enjoy seeing the London cast, whenever they have shows that come to New York from London. (They don't always keep the London cast.) So, on to the Olympics??