THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL REASONS CONTRIBUTING TO THE WIDESPREAD EFFECTS OF THE ABBA SONG-BASED MUSICAL MAMMA MIA

DOI: 10.18173/2354-1067.2023-0075

Abstract

The ABBA music-based musical Mamma Mia has been being performed on the world's multiple theater stages since the 1990s. It has appealed to myriad audiences ranging in ages and genders regardless the cultural and language differences. It has gained both art and financial success worldwide. What account for the huge effects of this musical on audiences are, namely, the touching story plot about love and friendship with mentions of the contemporary social issues related to feminism or generation gaps; stimulation for nostalgia about the beautiful past enabling to relieve the present pains, identify personal values, connect generations and community; and harmonious combination of stage performance (including music/singing, dancing, lighting, costumes, and stage setting). This essay focuses on all these aspects to give an explanation of how cultural materials of the past are re-created in the present as well as to indicate individual concerns and needs of contemporary life.