Last night marked Philadelphia’s opening night at the Merriam Theater for the Mamma Mia! farewell tour. Mamma Mia! is the eighth longest-running show in Broadway history and one of only five musicals to have run for more than ten years on Broadway. The show closed on Broadway last fall and is making its final rounds on tour as generations say goodbye to the beloved ABBA inspired musical.

I never had the immediate desire to see this show on stage, since it was such a long-running show and I imagined that I could take my time getting to it. Cut to the show’s final run. My last chance. I knew it was time to make the trek. Was it worth it? Well, it was a refreshing night out and nostalgic drop into the world of Mamma Mia! but overall, this show was…technical sound issues aside (which, for opening night is to be expected), surprisingly underwhelming.

Allentown, PA native Lizzie Markson plays Sophie in the national touring production, her national tour debut. And she is lovely. But this role doesn’t allow for us to see what she is fully capable of vocally, which is understandable because it’s simply not that kind of musical. So what I heard, I loved. But it was surely a tease. Vocals aside, Markson has so much charisma and is such a light, it’s no wonder she was cast as Sophie. She’s perfect.

Then there’s Betsy Padamonsky who plays Donna. Vocally, Padamonsky was strong but there was an emotional lack here and lack of energy that didn’t allow me to connect with and be excited for Donna in the way that I usually am. I actually connected more to her best friends Rosie (Sara Smith) and Tanya (Cashelle Butler) who embodied fabulousness in every fashion. The physical comedy of this show as a whole was top notch but the clear standouts here were certainly Smith and Butler as Rosie and Tanya. These two had so much fun in their roles, in their element on stage and were such a delight to witness.

Finally, there’s Marc Cornes (who plays Bill), Shai Yammanee (plays Sam), and Andrew Tebo (Harry), Sophie’s possible fathers. I loved the diversity here and I really enjoyed seeing how each actor embraced what we knew and loved about these characters while also making the roles their own. What I love most about this show is the storytelling, so getting to see this complex family drama play out was very satisfying. Seeing these characters on stage was fulfilling in regards to character development.

Musically though, there was a bit of an imbalance in regards to the energy, enthusiasm, and heart delivered in each song and scene, not to mention the song transitions were not as smooth as they could have been and that kept me from enjoying this show in all its glory. And while this wasn’t the outstanding, can’t stop talking about it performance I wanted to experience, I still really enjoy Mamma Mia! and would encourage you to see a production of the show if this is on your bucket list. It’s a simple, feel good show with its flashy moments that will give you many fits of laughter, a desire to find out more about your own family ties, and an itch to visit Greece. If only to say that you immersed yourself in the world of Mamma Mia! on stage, go see it while you still can.

Tickets for the farewell tour of Mamma Mia!, which runs in Philadelphia from December 27-31, 2016, can be purchased by calling (215) 893-3333, visiting www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center Box Office.

For more information about Mamma Mia! visit, www.mamma-mia.com.