REAL MEN LISTEN TO THE MUSIC OF ABBA

Two years ago, ALL I wanted for my birthday were tickets to the Broadway show, Mamma Mia! For those of you who aren't familiar with that particular show, it's based on TWENTY of uber-cheesy, 1970s supergroup Abba's hit songs.

Believe it or not, I've been a fan of Abba's music since I was a little girl. I feel like there may be others of you out there, I just assume you're in some sort of witness protection program. Seems like I never meet a fellow Abba lover. I've grown accustomed to the ridicule at this point. I stand proud. I stand alone.

Anyway, my birthday came and went and my usually VERY-on-top-of-things husband apologized that he didn't get the tickets. David felt bad and gave me a consolation present of the soundtrack. Although it was a sweet gesture, I (of course) subjected him to ALL 20 songs...Immediately. I considered it his punishment. ;-)

Last night, David surprised me with tickets to see Mamma Mia! at the beautiful Peace Center in Greenville. Good save! He definitely scored points! ;-)

We had a wonderful evening. We got "dolled up" after work and went to an amazing dinner at Bistro Europa. We used a coupon. (Hey, we're a married couple. It can't ALL be glamorous!)

The show was great. David, who wasn't really looking forward to it, even had to admit afterwards that it was really good. He was relieved to see that the whole thing was campy, tongue in cheek and over the top -- almost satirical. It was VERY funny and high energy. Really witty. Believe it or not, it had an interesting storyline.

The big finale number was the best. At that point, the stage was full of every cast member, in horrific, gaudy costumes, dancing on every square inch of the stage. Just so you know, by the end of the show, I'm pretty sure I saw grown men dancing (to ABBA!) in the aisles.

"...see that girl, watch that scene, diggin' the Dancing Queen"