Mamma Mia, I Love You!!

"Mamma Mia!"--where have you been all my life? Open on Broadway since 2001, I didn't see it till tonight.

It's Broadway Week--tickets were half price, and Figgy and I had great orchestra seats for $67 each. It was the best Broadway show I've ever seen, now even topping "Tru," the one-man show about Truman Capote.

The costumes...the singing...the story....the cast....the audience. We were all up on our feet and dancing in front of our seats for the encore. [I was glad Fig didn't see the tears in the corner of my eyes when the cast belted out one last version of "Dancing Queen"--the words "only seventeen" got to me, as Fig is that age, and we are all only 17 once. Where does it go? Why must it go?] When the mom, Donna, sings "Slipping through My Fingers," which starts with the words "school bag in hand" and remembers her little girl going off to school, I was also pressing a rumpled tissue to my eyes.

I loved the colors--the turquoise and white island beach dress, the swimsuit with pareo, the gold sandals, the aqua shirts and skirts, the wedding dress and veil.....I loved the humor, the laughter, the lyrics.....and the old, ornate Winter Garden Theatre, with fleur-de-lis motifs, flowers, urns and other storybook details on the panels, balconies and trim.

Afterwards, we walked to 47th and Broadway to the Roxy Delicatessen. I've drooled in front of its windows at giant cheesecakes and chocolate-dipped pastries for years, and tonight was the first time I went in. We each ordered cheesecake--the slices were huge [we brought part home], and $9.95 each. [I know, a splurge, and I'm about to jot it in my budget ledger, which is actually a pink Moleskine notebook.] Not quite as good as Junior's Most Fabulous Cheesecake, but Figgy really liked the strawberry-topped slice. Brought back memories of one lunch hour long ago when my friend Candy and I ventured into the famed Carnegie Deli on Seventh Avenue and shared a giant piece of cake.

What a happy night. And H., who didn't want to go anyway and was playing poker in the city, drove us in and out [which also saved almost $30 in round trip bus fare].

Tomorrow, I'm pulling out my "Mamma Mia!" movie soundtrack CD.  Can't wait...."Super Trouper," "Dancing Queen," "The Winner Takes It All," "Take a Chance on Me," and "I Have a Dream." I hope it's where I think it is. Last time around, H. and Figgy got sick of me playing it so much. Sweet dreams.

You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, diggin' the dancing queen   --Abba

TCOY

1. Rested. I didn't go to boot camp, and I hate skipping boot camp, but felt like I was getting sick and didn't want to miss the show tonight.
2. Reached out to magazine editors to touch base for work: Brett, Janet, Donna, Jennifer and Maria. That makes five. Sent links to clips. Got some good feedback, possible assignments.