If I had to consign a form of creative expression to my own personal Room 101, there’s little doubt in my mind that the first of the performing arts to go would have to be the utterly contrived and predicatable world of the musical. Unfortunately, with my parents visiting me this weekend on a rare trip to London (and having expressed a desire to “see a show”), I will tonight be taking them and Sally to see the utterly shabby (but hugely successful) cash-in that is Mamma Mia. I’m only now beginning to contemplate the true horror of what lies in store. Worse still, this was the one that started it all: the success of Mamma Mia is directly responsible for Ben Elton’s new career–the horrors that are We Will Rock You, Tonight’s The Night, and Madness the musical.
Somebody save me…