Gnomes, Groans and Palindromes

I've always had an affinity for bouncy pop tunes -- particularly those from the 70's and 80's -- songs you can sing along too -- even when hearing for the first time. So you can imagine my delight at seeing Mamma Mia Friday night at the Hershey Theatre.

ABBA! All ABBA!

The show was terrific -- very entertaining in a mindless sort of way -- and I spent much of it wondering how they would manage to work Waterloo into the rather loose storyline. Great fun -- truly -- and I'd recommend the show to anyone. Les Miz it ain't -- but equally entertaining.

But, for me, the pre-show was almost as interesting as the actual staged performance.

Pre-show, you say? Oh yes -- the show before the show -- the show that takes place in the lobby of the theatre prior to the curtain rising.

First up -- the pre-show costumes -- and I do mean costumes! For example:

-- when did flip flops become dress shoes?

-- when did women -- who in clothes that fit would not look in the least heavy-set -- decide to wear t-shirts so skin tight you can visually measure the circumference of their navels?

-- and nipples! Yes -- I said nipples! I actually saw a woman's nipples as she bent over in the one halter top that wasn't too tight, to retrieve something on the floor -- she just popped out, and nice as you please said "oops" and popped herself back in.

But my favorite pre-show character was the fellow - youngish - who stood in front of me in the lobby as I was sitting in a lovely velvet covered chair. He was short, but his derriere was eye level and he just kept backing up into my face. He had to see me, (I'm hardly a waif!) so I can only assume he wanted me to read the print on the tiny label on his backside -- for those interested, it said:

Banana Republic Chinos
100% Cotton Original Clothing
Manufactured for Strength and Reliability

The tag couldn't have been more than 1 inch by 2 inches -- which should give you an idea of how close this man's buttocks were to my face!

I tried to get the attention of my husband -- who was sitting in another velvet chair about three feet from me, but he was watching a show of his own -- a 30 something fellow so utterly mesmerized by his own appearance that he couldn't stop staring at himself in the large mirror behind our chairs. In between his primping, he must have made and/or received 5 phone calls (in about ten minutes) --we can only assume that he was a transplant surgeon trying to decide if he had enough time to watch Mamma Mia before the helicopter with the heart landed at Hershey Med. Or maybe he was trying to determine if his botox injections had kicked in yet?

So, to our pre-show cast of characters...I offer each of you your own solo in Mamma Mia:

...to the ample busomed gal -- Does Your Mother Know?
...to Mr. Banana Republic -- Knowing Me/Knowing You
...and to Dr. Botox -- S.O.S

Now...must run...I Have a Dream to make some Money, Money, Money for my very own Super Trouper whilst he eats a Chiquitita.

Thank you for the music!

Laura the Dancing Queen