Liam Donovan

For the show that launched the jukebox musical fever of the 2000s, an epidemic that’s yet to let up (Moulin Rouge!, another one with an exclamation point in its title, starts performances at Mirvish next month), Mamma Mia!’s treatment of ABBA’s music is surprisingly varied. The numbers are occasionally heightened and surreal, barely pretending to be part of the story (Money, Money, Money). Other times, they’re genuine conduits for plot (Does Your Mother Know), or bizarre portraits of a character’s psyche (Under Attack). And sometimes they’re even seemingly written by the characters, who are themselves apparently undercover pop stars (Super Trouper).