You have to be a seriously cynical curmudgeon not to be swept up in the good-natured and frothy fun that is “Mamma Mia!” the Las Vegas version of the Broadway hit now playing at Mandalay Bay. I, of course, am a cynical curmudgeon but apparently haven’t gotten my “serious” badge yet because even I couldn’t help but be amused by this candy-colored concoction that is at once the antithesis and the embodiment of Vegas entertainment.

For those of you hiding under a pop culture rock for the last couple of years, “Mamma Mia!” is a feathery lightweight musical inspired by and featuring the songs of ‘70s disco super group ABBA. You don’t really need to know their hits like “Dancing Queen,” “Take a Chance on Me,” or “Waterloo” to enjoy the show. In fact, a lack of knowledge may help in some ways. I have only a passing awareness of ABBA’s music but for the most part it was the songs that I didn’t know that seemed to fit better into the plot, as opposed to the big hits, which in many ways felt shoehorned.

And despite what you may have heard there actually is a plot, although it isn’t exactly Shakespeare. The day before her wedding on a remote Greek island, young Sophie nervously awaits the arrival of three men, all of whom had affairs with her mother Donna at roughly the same time 21 years ago and any of whom could very well be her father. Throw in a bunch of wacky sidekicks, a few misunderstandings, and a bunch of secrets, and you have the makings of an extended episode of “Three’s Company.”

The first act plays like a slapstick sitcom, complete with pratfalls and lots of genial mugging from the talented cast. That’s not really a criticism since it falls completely in line with traditional Broadway musicals all the way back to Busby Berkeley. It’s fun and funny so go with it.

The second act bogs down a bit as both the story and musical tone try to shift to become a bit more serious. Who is really Sophie’s father? Will Donna and one of her old loves be reunited? Will the wedding go on as scheduled?! You get the idea.

The comedy bits of the plot work better than the attempts at drama but the plot is, for the most part, incidental to the music, a bubbly confection of pop tunes that have been adapted for the stage with a great deal of style and originality. As mentioned, the more obscure ABBA tunes tend to work better than the popular ones since the rough fits in the adaptations aren’t quite as glaring.

However there are a few standouts among those tunes that you may know including a flirtatiously funny version of “Take a Chance on Me” and a powerful rendition of “The Winner Takes It All.”

Speaking of the cast, they are for the most part excellent - great singers, talented comedians, good dancers.

So it’s undeniable that “Mamma Mia!” is crowd-pleasing fun and not a lot more, another thing that comes off sounding like a criticism when it really isn’t meant as one.

I’ve took a lot (and I do mean a lot) of heat for a quote that appeared in Newsweek magazine awhile back when I said that I didn’t think “Mamma Mia!” would work in Vegas since lengthy, plot-driven shows have never done particularly well here. At roughly 2 hours it is a solid 30 minutes longer than most Vegas shows and it features a rare for this town intermission.

The good news is that it doesn’t feel like 2 hours and from what I could tell almost everyone came back from intermission instead of running off to the craps tables so what do I know?

And of course the show has been playing to packed houses for years now so apparently I know very little. Whatever - it's just something you should be aware of. Even though it's a show designed for people with a short attention span, you may still get distracted.

But all of that is at best an academic discussion and has little relevance to whether or not “Mamma Mia!” is worth your $50-110. I say if it doesn’t preclude you from seeing one of the other Vegas spectaculars than absolutely. Go, enjoy, dance, and don’t admit to anyone how badly you want to be in those rhinestone encrusted platform boots.

Or maybe it was just me?