The first musical I ever saw was Chicago, and it wasn't even a live show, it was the movie. I loved it so much, I had it on DVD and listened to it like 800 times. (Yes, I treated it like a background compilation CD). When 5 years later I saw the "real" Chicago on Broadway, New York, I was shocked to see how the movie makers misinterpreted the story and how my love of Catherine Zeta Jones made me buy it. The most unusual thing about it was the orchestra taking the whole stage and then the dancers performing literally around it - how fascinating!  I was glad I saw it there, in one of those tiny, ancient, original theatres on Broadway, with the flat seating stalls and very post-war amenities, with the smelly halls and queues at the exit. All of this will go, maybe even sooner than we think, and those bunkers will be replaced with the modern "glass and brass", exceptionally convenient theatres. Oh well, Mamma Mia is my second favourite. I have seen it live twice, once when it came to New Zealand in 2005 and then in Las Vegas in 2008, and I must say, I will go again, given the chance. These two performances were exactly identical, and even the actor types were very similar. I only like ABBA for the musical's sake, and in all honesty cannot stand the lyrics without the context  - how cheesy! how naive and commercial! Yet I do own a CD, and I like it. Nevertheless,  I had no idea what to expect from a movie, although I had been looking forward to it for a good while. I imagined it should have the best of both genres - the camera would make the stage limitations disappear and the famous cast would ooze that charisma into the cheesy songs. I imagined fantastic views and airbrushed actresses and even greatest tunes. Of course, none of it happened. Meryl Streep (I know, I know she is big in the States!) could sing, but it seemed like she had lost her ability to act altogether - what was that rolling on the floor along "Money Money Money"? Pierce Brosnan was great at dazzling his famous smile around, but he couldn't sing at all. At all! He struggled throughout the movie with single lines, but was still given the entire song at the end. I almost cried, this is how pathetic he was. The girl (Sophie) looked like a bleached transvestite. Donna's friends looked like they had known better times. Colin was all right though. The only thing I really liked was the chorus (even the views of the Greek Isles could have been more picturesque!) The bottomline is that if something costs around $80 to see, there is probably a reason to it. You can pay $15 and get a substitute, but the best deal is $2 for a dvd hire. Can use that coupon, too.