Screenplay by Catherine Johnson and music by ABBA. You’ve not experienced Mamma Mia until you’ve seen it in its original Mandarin. 🙂

Sorry for the cryptic Star Trek sub-reference. I couldn’t pass it up.

Last Thursday evening my lovely wife and I went with my sister-in-law and her son to see Mamma Mia playing at the Shanghai Cultural Square. While my Mandarin is not that good yet, I could make out various words and phrases and understood parts of what was going on. Luckily, I did read up on it in Wikipedia just before we arrived!

We thought the performance and singing was excellent and the music, from a live pit orchestra was incredible, and the dancing was just superb!

The theater building was spectacular, as you can see in the slideshow below. Beautiful marble, inlaid wood, crystal clear glass and a sound system that was top-notch.

They had an interesting way of reminding people not to take pictures or video. From the back of the theater, they would shin low-powered lasers onto the screens of the phones and tables of anyone using them to take photos/videos. That usually stopped people right away.

Oh, and did I mention there were bats flying around outside?! Lots of them….well…maybe three or four. But they were low and very active feeding on the evening fair of mosquitoes, flies and months. I just love bats, really!

Tickets were not cheap at 380¥, and my sister-in-law paid. Thank you!!! Next time it will be Russian Ballet this fall, and our treat.

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