Musical: Mamma Mia!

If I were to initially comment on my take on Mamma Mia! (The Musical), I would simply sing this line to you:

Mamma Mia, here I go again
My my, how can I resist you?

Since experiencing the zest of "Mamma Mia!" last month, I've been raving on how great the show is and how it's such an unforgettable experience. Definitely worth anyone's time and money.

This is a dream come true for me. Since I've migrated here in 2005, I've always wished that they'll show Mamma Mia! in Sydney again for my sake (hehe). When they made a movie of this musical, I watched it in the cinemas alone and when the DVD was released, I bought it to share the experience with the Husband. He loved the movie and I promised him we would see the musical if ever we get a chance, whether it was here or in another part of the world.

After watching Mamma Mia! The Movie a thousand times and after playing the CD soundtrack inside our car everytime we're on a roadtrip (yes, that's how much we loved it), the universe has finally conspired to make our dream come true. Mamma Mia! is celebrating it's 10th Anniversary in Sydney!!!!!

To-date, this is the most entertaining and funnest theatrical experience for me and the Husband. Here are the reasons why:

The storyline and the songs. Those ABBA hits became the foundation of a story which anyone can easily relate to: a wedding, a reunion of friends, finding one's self, a lover coming back to your life, giving second chances. If you've ever been inlove or had great friends, this will surely warm your heart as you hear melodies of "Dancing Queen", "Chiquitita" or "The Winner Takes it All" come to life infront of you. Note: There are more songs in the musical compared the movie.

The actors. The cast has the funniest leads and ensemble I've ever seen. My favorite is Anne Wood who played Donna Sheridan and Jennifer Vuletic who played Tanya, one of the Dynamos. They were both funny, beautiful and acted really well. The cast sang every song beautifully and they danced really really good.

The choreography. Each production number will make you want to dance as the choreography is highly energetic. My favorite from all the production numbers is "Voulez-vous".

The fun costumes that complimented the lighting. Very modest set but they made sure that lighting was great and the costumes were fun and sparkly.

A mini-concert by the end of the show. An encore that's sort of a mini ABBA concert with the lead players disappearing just long enough to come back in eye-popping, deliciously colorful costumes that made the audience get on their feet and dance!!!! Yes, I was one of those that danced while they sang "Mamma Mia!", "Dancing Queen" and "Waterloo". It was such a fabulous experience. I loved it! I never wanted the experience to end--that's how good it was.

For anyone who's in Sydney right now, I recommend you watch and experience this musical. Bring your husband, I assure you he will enjoy it too. Or go with your girlfriends and you will surely have lots of fun.

Mamma Mia! will make you sing, cry, laugh and dance. A must-see for everyone.

This will run til February 2010. Buy your tickets now via Ticketmaster.

Trivia Time:

(b) The most touching part of the story was when Donna (the mom) helped Sophie get ready for the wedding. Donna sang "Slipping Through My Fingers". For anyone who's a mother or a daughter, I'm sure this will warm your heart.

(c) Since Chris and I were in such a festive mood that night, all because we are having so much fun, Chris brought me a "Super Trouper" Daiquiri in a flashing glass (which you can take home) during intermission. In honor of the musical, they named the daiquiris after ABBA's song titles.

(d) Given a chance, another time or place perhaps, I will watch and experience this musical again.

 

Sculpture by the Sea 2009

A once in a year spectacle in Sydney as the Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk transforms into a giant sculpture park with more than a hundred sculptures from artists in Australia and around the world. It runs for three weeks during Spring.

Husband and I explored the shores of Bondi Beach one Sunday afternoon and took some photos (we never made it to Tamarama due to another appointment in the afternoon).

"sanctuary"

"chaos and order"

"eye sea you"

"the shoppers"

"what the wind said II"

"face finger folds"

"pattern III"

My Husband appreciated the sculptures more than me, basically because he's the artist between the two of us--he gets it more than I do hehe. But I do find some of it fascinating. Next year, I hope we'd have enough time to see all the sculptures (and maybe a better weather?).

For more photos, please check them out here: Sculptures by the Sea 2009 Collection.

Some other photos that day as the Husband and I had our weekend date by the beach.

Gloomy, drizzling day that day. We didn't mind getting soaked by rain but the concern was always for our cameras getting wet. We were only there for two hours and it rained thrice.

It was my Husband's first time to be in Bondi. Took him almost two years of living here to visit Sydney's most popular beach. Next time, we will visit an earlier time so we can hang out for longer.

My Bondi visit will never be complete without Fish & Chips. I know it's so Aussie but I really don't know why I always crave for Fish & Chips whenever I'm here.

Had fun posing for the Husband. I finally noticed the graffitis here in Bondi. I know there's graffitis in this city everywhere but I never seem to notice.

A souvenir shot.

Sad News

Usual Saturday chicka with parents this morning. But what was unusual was my Mom talked to me first (usually the Dad answers the phone) then she asked if I can laugh already and I said "Yes, no more pain in my tummy when I laugh." (I thought she was just making sure that my tummy's all good because she knows I laugh a lot) and when my Dad talked to me he sounded so sad.

After asking about the usual questions about my operation, he suddenly became quiet and said, "Wag kang magugulat...wala na si Tatay mo." And then we both cried.

The person I fondly called "Tatay" is my uncle from my Dad's side. He is my Dad's brother-in-law. My Dad is the youngest in the family and instead of being taken cared of by his parents, he was taken cared of by one of his older sisters. My dad's sister and brother-in-law were the ones responsible for bringing my Dad to Manila and taking care of him from teenage years til he got married. So my Dad treated them like his parents. And when I was born, I treated them like my Grandpa and Grandma as I never got to know my real grandparents from my father's side of the family. Nanay and Tatay were a big part of my growing up years as they took care of me when I was a kid. Nanay died a few years back...and now Tatay is finally with her in heaven.

I remember my Dad telling me that Tatay looks for me whenever they visit him these past few months. Tatay would ask "Nasaan si Ivy?" which my Dad would always reply, "Tay, si Ivy di ba nasa Australia na nakatira? Dadalawin ka daw nya pag nagbakasyon siya."
My heart would melt everytime my Dad would tell me that Tatay looks for me. I had a funny feeling about it, like a premonition. I asked my Dad to tell Tatay to wait for me and that he should stay healthy so I can visit him soon.

To our family's surprise, he passed away last night and I will never get to see him again. My parents didn't call me last night as they were afraid it might affect my condition. But this morning they just had to let me know. Recuperating or not, I really can't control the overflowing of my emotions.

I know my Tatay is in a better place now but I'm just very very sad that I won't see him when I visit Manila again. I'm just sad that another loved one has passed away.

Recuperating

Thank you very much to everyone who prayed and sent positive vibes my way. Your messages and presence helped me throughout my ordeal last Wednesday. The operation was a success. I'm now back home and recuperating. The Husband is taking very good care of me. Family and friends are keeping an eye on me too. I'm feeling very much loved right now and it's helping me get better by the day.