Is this really necessary?

I have yet to sit through the first wave of Abba uproar-    the theater production itself. The sleazy, cheesy all around nauseating ads for the Toronto production that consumed my cable television as well as the city’s theatrical praise in a time of on-stage dramatic drought (the early-mid 2000’s) forced me to accept that this was the ultimate experience… one that will have you out of your seat, in the aisles dancing and singing along.

With the release of the 2008 film, I cringed at the sight of this cast. I feared for Meryl Streep and the oh-so sharp, oh-so Bond Brosnan, luckily the thing was a smash hit that no one was surprised to see rock the box-office for a number of weeks. Even my father insisted it was the time of his life (ignoring Brosnan’s uncomfortable vocal numbers that were a little less ickier than your struggling Vegas lounge singer).

The film’s star, a then relatively unknown new comer Amanda Seyfried has hinted at something out of my technicolor nightmare. A sequel-

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of musicals… on stage or on screen. I refused to see Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat no less than 3 times when it played in Toronto in the late 90’s… there was no way I was going to miss opening night of Rob Marshall’s Chicago, I lapped up every second of it’s glitzy glory! I even catch myself singing along to Abba songs that make their routine appearance on my “soft rock” and “oldies” radio stations-

I just can’t do like the rest of my kind and get excited about the next wave of housewives and their daughters and my aunts and cousins getting their rocks off at this celebration of lame disco numbers, fairytale-like romances and a desperately un-sexy Pierce Brosnan. And of course the soundtrack that will fill every household, girl’s night out and trip to the grocery store.

The only good I can say about this horrifying rumor is that Amanda Seyfriend is no longer the unknown newcomer amongst a sea of seasoned veterans whoring themselves out in conga-lines and embarrassing group dance numbers against a pastel sea front setting. After this year’s Chloe, I’ll be sure to question her seriousness as well as the rest of the ensemble re-joining this cast for the sequel. Mind you, with Meryl’s Oscar performances and Amanda’s maturing career, it’s only fair to suggest that the fun [for them] is deserved, and it’ll be their final paychecks and box office boom that become the only real seriousness we’ll all care about.

Maybe I’ve been missing out?

Regardless, mother’s, daughter’s (and my father) rejoice in what will be another movie-theater experience, sure to satisfy your crap-cravings ! That is until Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 3 makes it to the cinema marquee!

See the BBC article on the Sequel!

Seyfried Abba Sequel