All Shook Up vs Mamma Mia

How could they close All Shook Up and keep Mamma Mia open???? I saw Mamma Mia last night, and the first ten minutes were a girl who couldn't sing on a really boring stage. The first few minutes of ASU has Jenn Gambatese and her lovely voice, a car, a gas station and then a bar that looks like a bar. The "taverna" in Mamma Mia consists of a few tables and chairs and at one point one bottle comes out with a few glasses. No Cheyenne coming up on a motorcycle, no museum, no jailhouse, no shoe store, and no chapel. It just has one set that they just keep turning around and a bed that they (the actors) wheel out every so often. Bring ASU back!!!!!

All Shook Up never should've closed because it was a funny show with a great cast and some great Elvis songs, but more people were attracted to Mamma Mia because of ABBA.

I prefer All Shook Up to Mamma Mia
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"As my plastic surgeon always said. If you gotta go, go with a smile."
-Batman

Both shows were trash.

Both shows got the same reviews: very mixed.

People flock to Mamma Mia. Why? It has something for everyone, pretty girls, handsome guys, and music that everyone knows. The music was put together by the original members of ABBA, so that while the singers are different, the orchestrations are mostly the same.

All Shook Up, while having a great cast, changed the music enough so that Elvis fans weren't thrilled.

Mamma Mia! is an international hit. They obviously are doin' somethin' right! No need to trash one show to justify why another should have stayed open.

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Everytime a show closes I think "...and Mamma Mia! is still open." I've seen the show twice. It's just...bad. The songs don't fit the storyline, which is a bit of a mess in the first place. And the book is horrid.

But I do understand the appeal. It's internationally known, and most adults flock to see it because it brings them back. My parents absolutely love the show, while I can't stand it. They don't really care about the book or the plot so much; they just love that there's a show that can remind them so much of their teenage years. The show also has a great marketing team backing it up. While ASU is, in my opinon, the far superior show, I do see how Mamma Mia! remains open. And, hey, at least the ending is fun. And that's not just because it's over.

I know! I can't believe Joe Machota's abs were never used as part of the marketing ploy...

Really? I see ads all over the place. And the commercials are played incessantly. Unless that's just a New York thing. Hm.

"The songs don't fit the storyline, which is a bit of a mess in the first place."

Which songs? When I saw the show, it made sense.

"And the book is horrid."

While the story was based on a film, I found the book far more interesting and comprehensible than All Shook Up, which lacked focus and left me wondering what the hell was going on.

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oh, yes. every moring I wake up and dance to "Dancing Queen" and "Shakalaka Baby" ...

Mamma Mia's book doesn't insult the intelligence of its audience too much, whereas I was so offended by the stupidity of All Shook Up's book I almost walked out.

i love both.

"it wouldn't be opened as long as it has been without that because the show is really bad"

Uh, sorry, but advertising was not the key to Mamma Mia's success. The show was a hit in London and on tour before it arrived on Broadway. Eurpoean tourists already knew the show and a huge positive buzz allowed the show to open with a bang and it has stayed in the top 5 ever since. Probably the number one reason of the show's success is featuring the music of ABBA. Even 25 years after their split, they have remained the number one pop group in the world. The second reason for success would be creating a fluffy fun book show that was neither overstuffed with plots, nor insultingly simple rather than simply a revue of songs which would serve as nothing more than a hit parade. Third would be marketing and their rather amazing worldwide sales have made it possible for the producers to spend more money on advertising, but even vast amounts of advertising can't save a bad show (Brooklyn).

All Shook Up had some fun moments, and the cast was great, but it didn't fix the rather confusing and muddy book. Since I dn't live in NYC, I don't know about its marketing, but that can surely kill a show. It did have quite a prominent presence on Times Square and hotels were loaded with flyers, so it's not like they didn't flood the biggest tourist spot in the city.

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what is it that's confusing about the plot of ASU?! is it that people just needed a stupid reason to say something negative? "Can't help falling in love" when they yell the names out clears it up and the wedding scene too! it really wasnt hard to follow throughout the show! sorry, this is one thing thats really been bothering me!! it wasnt a hard show to follow, and it was so easy to love!!