Mamma Mia! The Musical Review

---

I was 15 when I first heard the voices of Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid (ABBA) through my speakers. I didn't listen to it intentionally however. I'd "borrowed" one of my Mum's tapes to record the Top 10 singles chart from the radio, and as I played it back and the No.1 song finished, "Super Trouper" came on part way through. I remember thinking "This is really quite catchy", which was a horrific realisation given the fact that my Mum has really bad taste in music! (Sorry Mum, but it's true. Donny Osmond.... Really??) Although after seeing the Osmonds Musical recently, I can appreciate her tastes a little more.

Anyway, back to the point, I don't think there's anyone that can say that they haven't grown up listening to the 1974 Eurovision Winners. And one of the key moments of their continued longevity was back in 1999 when Steps, B*Witched, Billie Piper Cleopatra & Tina Cousins performed "Thank Abba For The Music" at the Brit Awards which coincided with the West End debut of Mamma Mia! The ABBA musical.

With this, the Swedish super group were re-introduced to another generation.

The jukebox musical recently celebrated it's 22nd Anniversary in the West End and has also been playing on Broadway for years. A film of the same name, released in 2008, became the highest-grossing film in the United Kingdom that year and is also the highest worldwide grossing live action musical film of all time, even spawning a sequel!

So what's the reason behind the world domination of this production? Having experienced it at The Regent Theatre, I can tell you that it’s a very simple proposition: it just brings joy.

We're transported to the Greek island of Kalokairi where 20-year-old Sophie (played by Jena Pandya) is preparing to marry her fiancé, Sky (Toby Miles). She dreams of her father walking her down the aisle, but has lived her life not knowing who he is. When Sophie discovers her mother's old diary and finds entries which describe intimate dates with three men named Sam (Richard Standing), Bill (Phil Corbitt) and Harry (Daniel Crowder), she believes that one of these men could be her father and sends each of them an invitation to her wedding, writing in the name of her mother, Donna (Sara Poyzer), without letting her unsuspecting mother know. From there, the three men turn up the day before the wedding and we are put through a classic "who's the Daddy" storyline with plenty of comedy twists. 

The story is told through the words of ABBA's biggest smash hits, such as "Dancing Queen", "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!", "Does Your Mother Know". “I Have A Dream" and many more.

The choreography in this performance is incredible, and it's great that there were enough ensemble cast on stage to truly bring the music to life. This was noted most in the performance of "Money Money Money".

Jena had a lovely voice as our protagonist, gentle and sweet but punchy when the music called for it. And Sara was great as Sophie's mum Donna. Her acting in general was superb, and the chemistry between her, Nicky and Helen was excellent! It really seemed like they were old friends that had known each other for years, and they provided the majority of the funniest moments. 

Their first performance of "Dancing Queen" was like a bad karaoke rendition at the local pub. Although this was obviously the intention, it was also horrible hearing ABBA's iconic song ripped to shreds on stage, and I was left hoping that there would be some kind of medley at the end which saw the songs performed at their best.

Sara’s performance of "The Winner Takes It All" proved to everyone why she was there. It was a fantastic performance by an all round fantastic actress.

I also noted that there was a reference to Shakespeare, spoken by Harry when the three potential fathers meet Donna again for the first time. Some may not have noticed the line "Age cannot wither her" from "Julius Caesar", but I found it quite apt as Shakespeare was a pioneer in theatre and the arts, quite the same as this production. Before Mamma Mia, there weren't many contemporary musicals that focused on women, and it created such empowering lead roles for women which is fantastic for the industry both then and now.

All in all, this is a jukebox musical that doesn't take itself too seriously. Having not seen the film previously, I found it all very cheesy but that only added to the appeal. It was impossible not to feel good about it.

There is enough feel good music, lycra and plenty of platform boots and oiled up six packs to entertain anyone. And as for the medley I longed for at the end of the show... did it happen?? Well, I'll let you find out for yourselves when you book your tickets.

To put it simply, it's ABBA-solutely Brilliant!

Mamma Mia! is playing at the Regent Theatre NOW until and including Saturday 21st May. Tickets are on sale and are available from the Box Office, by calling 0844 871 7649 or visiting www.atgtickets.com/stoke

See below for a sneak peek of what to expect!