What a super trouper. It’s 24 years since Abba musical Mamma Mia premiered in the West End, setting the template for numerous jukebox shows to follow, and Phyllida Lloyd’s slick production is still a tremendous crowd-pleaser.
Certainly, the Meryl Streep and Lily James-starring Hollywood movies have helped replenish its fanbase, and so will ITV’s upcoming reality competition to cast young lovers Sophie and Sky. Filmed in Greece, it’s The X Factor meets Love Island. London also has another Abba-inspired venture, Mamma Mia The Party.
But the stage show has always had built-in multi-generational appeal. Its centres on frazzled single mother Donna, cash-strapped owner of a rundown taverna, and 20-year-old daughter Sophie, who, to the horror of her feminist mum, is planning a big white wedding. After discovering Donna’s steamy diary, Sophie has invited three men to the ceremony – any of whom might be her biological father, and so could give her away. “Let’s hope it’s a wide aisle,” quips her bridesmaid.
Catherine Johnson’s madcap plot is ingeniously looped around the Swedish band’s mega-hits. Well, all except Waterloo, which is wisely saved for the encore. A big part of the enjoyment of seeing Mamma Mia on stage is experiencing the audience’s collective coo of recognition – yes, that’s Money, Money, Money, Dancing Queen, and, aptly, Thank You for the Music. It’s an instant dopamine rush.
Leading the current Mamma Mia London cast is Mazz Murray, who brings effective ferociousness and roof-raising vocals to the proudly independent Donna. It’s all the more moving when she unburdens herself in the emotional second-act double-whammy: parental lament Slipping Through My Fingers and knockout break-up song The Winner Takes It All.
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July 18, 2023 at 06:19PM
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Mamma Mia! is still an irresistible shot of pure Abba sunshine - The Telegraph
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