Watch The Flipper Boys Make A Splash In Mamma Mia!

October 12, 2018

A well-loved discography to its name, a narrative that warms the heart and dance numbers that will make you want to get up and dance, Mamma Mia! reveals a secret weapon to its sunny, feel-good arsenal—the Flipper Boys.

Despite your best efforts to leave precursors and precedents at the door, you will still enter the theater feeling as if you’ve seen and heard it all, especially in this day and age of spoiler-infested, visually-saturated and information driven exchange on and offline. We wouldn’t past you, of course, with everyone hyping everything up to an exacerbated and exaggerated level that is hard to be surprised and most importantly, thoroughly interested anymore. At this point, perhaps we are just mindlessly consuming content and entertainment for the sheer heck of it. What, it passes the time and distracts us from the mundane day-to-day.

But is that really how entertainment has become reduced to? Not if the valiant efforts of the theater has anything to do with it.

Washing up on our shores once more (here we go again?), Mamma Mia! docks and drops its anchor to bring its signature sunny and heart-warming musical back following a successful outing prior. This couldn’t have come at a more opportune time too, especially since the karaoke-loving country has just fallen in love with movie musical sequel of the same name. Getting reacquainted with the beloved music of Abba was one thing, but seeing and consequently being educated by the original source material come to life was bound to be a treat. And yet Mamma Mia! managed to pull a surprise after all—at least to the ones who have seen this iconic piece of theater for the first time, myself included.

HERE WE GO AGAIN

As the lights filtered through the arching branches of bougainvillea overhead, the quiet still of the island grew to a bouncing, vibrant whole as life slowly peppered through the simulated Grecian overture. Soon, the familiar music that have provided a soundtrack to many a life’s moment filled the theatrical enclave, with every guest trying their very best to not join in and burst into song along with the characters that are at this point more than just a fictional acquaintance.

We all know of the standard set: Sophie and Donna Sheridan, Sky, Tanya, Rosie, and the trio of Harry, Bill and Sam, but nestled within the story are energetic fits of personality that add more bang to the tale of friendship, family and unparalleled love. Drumming up the rock and roll infused Lay All Your Love On Me number, an army of danseurs in bright cobalt blue scuba suits and flippers spinning, kicking and full on dancing in the ensemble. The Flipper Boys instantly steal your attention with their antics that elevate the performance to an almost all too real sense.

Diving and making a major splash, this assemblage of personality and precise choreography have quickly become one of the show’s many highlights—to many a thundering applause, really.

NOW PLAYING

In the theater, it is ingrained very early on that there are no small roles. Now, this isn’t to patronize anyone, but as anyone who has interfaced with the rigors of the art before know, a production is a reputable jigsaw puzzle that only reveals its full, colorful potential when every piece is in order. Michael Nelson, Matt Jordan, Matt Kennedy, Devon Braithwaite, Tom Bainbridge, Alexanda O’Reily, Jaydon Vijn and Phillip Ryan, as well as choreographer Jamie Wilkin, are enough proof that when people come together, as in the case of Mamma Mia!, the show’s organic ebb and flow get a shot of exclamation on appropriate parts, building up the show’s memorable reputation.

A motley crew of diverse and distinct personalities and backgrounds, The Flipper Boys are a serendipitous mix of everyone from an ex-rugby player, TV show offshoot and many others who have gladly followed their destinies in theater. “I cried when I first got the job and then I cried again when I started to go on tour,” reveals Alex as we start discussing their early foray into what has inevitably become their life today. “I just felt really lucky to be part of what’s happening. And you just go through life, and it gets a bit crap sometimes, but this was one of the times where something you pursue actually happens for you and you actually get somewhere in life.”

It may sound like pretty heavy stuff but this is what binds and bonds every son and daughter of the stage, the cumulative and collective stories that brought them to forging their own paths in life, really. And this perhaps is a facet to good ‘ol grand time that we are not always privy to, the fact that behind the curtains, the visceral coming together of many elements and the stories they ultimately tell, is the people behind that make it happen. In this instance, we set their scuba suits and gears aside, and sit back with the boys with the incomparable backdrop of the Manila skyline at just before the dip of sunset to get to know more about them. Like, really get to know them. This way, the next time they dance their way to your heart’s content on stage, there will be a little bit more bravado to your applause, because these boys, they truly are something else.

MEGA Man: What does it feel like to a.) work on a show this memorable and b.) to be touring this around the world, Manila in particular?

Jaydon: I felt like Mamma Mia! has got such a big following, which I didn’t realize until I started, especially with how people like the musical and the songs. And like, the venues we go to, we get such good response from people, especially here in Manila.

Michael: It such an iconic piece, this show though. What I love about it, at the end of the show especially, is seeing the generations enjoy. You have an 8-year old screaming Mamma Mia! back at you and then a 70-year old standing there, singing it back to you.

Alex: The audiences on tour tend to enjoy the show so much more.

Devon: That’s the best audience we had so far.

Jamie: What’s good as well is that having done it in the UK for just over two and a half years, seeing the different personalities from the audience that come in, and then going abroad with it, people here are more polite and really attentive and they laugh at things not other audiences laugh at. But what I love about the show is that at the end, everyone is on their feet wanting to have a sing song and dance with us.

MEGA Man: What were your earliest memories with the songs of Mamma Mia! or Abba? What is it like bringing their songs to life through this musical?

Jaydon: I was surprised when I started how many of the songs I knew. Someone asked me, “Do you know Abba?” I said, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure like I know a few songs and they’re a good listen.” But when we did it, I knew about 80% of the songs, which is a lot, especially since this is in Abba musical. Then there were those songs that I didn’t know, and it was good to interface with it, too.

Matt J: Even if you don’t listen or follow Abba, it’s hard not to join in with the songs, because they’re so catchy whether you like it or not.

Matt K: And they’re played at every wedding or party…or conservative political conference. The prime minister danced to it. Yeah, Dancing Queen.

Michael: Funny, it doesn’t leave you. Once you’ve done Mamma Mia!, Abba follows you everywhere in your life. It stays with you.

MEGA Man: There has been a resurgence of interest in the material, especially with the release of the movie musical sequel. Is there some sort of pressure or challenge to keep the guests entertained?

Phillip: More people will have seen the movie more than the musical, but for us, there is something about live theater that brings it to life so much more. Whoever has seen the movie prior will eventually say, I actually prefer the musical more. I mean, having to stand up and join in, especially during the megamix rather than sitting at home on your own singing along.

Michael: What’s good as well, because it has been going for so long, we’re now in a place where there’s a blueprint to the show but we are able to bring our personalities to the characters we play. So, we don’t have to be someone else, but we become the characters and the characters become us.

Tom: Everyone loves Abba songs, so even though there’s a new film, new material, I feel like we don’t need to feel the pressure because at the end of the day, we’re on the stage, bringing these Abba songs to life.

Jaydon: I feel like there is no expectation to get the musical across, because as long as everyone is having a good time then that’s basically why we do the show.

Devon: The music speaks for itself in a lot of ways. It’s really hard to do the finale and not leave the stage absolutely buzzing from the reception we got from the audience, because they’re all on their feet. That gives us so much energy and we always feel like we have done a good job just to get to the end.

MEGA Man: What are the challenges you have to go through or have you gone through during the course of the show?

Matt: Fitness and well-being is a massive part of it, especially being in a gorgeous country like this with the food, the hotels and the pools…it’s such an important part of it; it kind of changes your lifestyle in a way. Like, you want to become fit and healthier, and it’s great for the future and not just for this job.

Mamma Mia! is now showing at The Theatre at Solaire for a strictly limited season. Tickets are now on sale through Ticketworld.