Lighthearted fun makes up for flimsy narrative in 'Mamma Mia!'

Campy and reminiscent, "Mamma Mia!" sure isn't the thinking man's ... or woman's musical, though Donna Sheridan (played by Laurie Wells) bears her femininity with stark ferocity, fighting "marriage, the institution for people who belong in an institution," as she and her on-stage friends put it.\nBut what am I talking about? This isn't a musical with a plot. The thin veil of a story drapes the performers, reminding them to laugh or cry and throw out a dance move or two.\nYou've got to hand it to Benny Andersson (music and lyrics director for the show) and Catherine Johnson (playwright) for pulling a string of ABBA songs into anything cohesive.\n"You can make fun of it while you're watching it," said Robert Pendilla, who plays Pepper in the show. "It's ABBA. This isn't one of those huge musical theater pieces." \nWhat "Mamma Mia!" lacks in substance, it makes up for in spirit. It's fun, in the truest sense of the word -- belly-laughing, childhood playground fun. \nEvery three to five minutes of the show, someone breaks out into song. Occasionally, those songs are inappropriate and taken out of context, like when Sophie Sheridan, played by Carrie Manolakos, sings an ABBA love ballad to the man she believes is her father.\nBut there are moments -- glimmers -- when you forget you're watching a show with an Italian name that just happens to take place in Greece.\nWells broke out into "Mamma Mia!" clutching a doorway and sinking down to the floor. Her acting was phenomenal at times, surpassing the recycled lyrics and flimsy narrative.\nIn "The Name of the Game," her carefree image seems to slide away, leaving her vulnerability exposed to the audience for a moment.\nAnd let's not forget Manolakos, whose clear soprano skimmed easily into a disco groove and back again for more tender scenes. Her eager eyes captured the "white wedding" role perfectly.\nOne awkward song centers around a nightmare Sophie experiences the night before her wedding. Men in neon costumes invade her bedroom and shuffle her bed across the stage under lights the color of Slimer from "Ghostbusters."\nThe show's ending was disappointing. Still, what kind of breakthrough can we really expect from a musical group who philosophically sing, "Money, money, money. Must be funny, in a rich man's world?"\nThe show ended in another song and dance explosion, almost to say, "Hey, don't take us too seriously; get up on your feet and move a little." \nDespite the gimmicks, "Mamma Mia!" seemed to get its message across to the audience.\nDuring intermission, a group of four gathered behind me in the aisle, droning softly about the show in a musical foreign language. More and more friends recognized and joined them, shouting first in English and shifting back and forth to more exotic tones. I recognized a word or two -- "ABBA," "Indianapolis" -- but mostly, I heard laughter and joy seeping into their voices.\n"Is it bringing back memories?" one woman asked another, giggling and rolling off more wild, foreign tongues.\nAnd then she said, "Enjoy. Enjoy"