Performance date: 6 February 2025 @ 3pm
Anything that involves the music of ABBA is always a guarantee of a good time and the Mamma Mia! musical at the Novello Theatre in London captures this feel-good atmosphere. As I sat in the theatre waiting for the show to start I looked around the auditorium and think how incredible that ABBA’s music was released nearly 50 years ago and still draws a crowd of fans and has the ability to connect generation together all through their love of music. The story follows 20 year old Sophie who is getting married on an island in Greece and invites three possible men who could be her father.
This is my second time seeing the show, with the first being 11 years ago so I was very intrigued to see how the show has changed over the years. From my memory, I loved the show the first time round and as a big ABBA fan I was thrilled to go again as a birthday treat. The show was even better than I remember and it was very difficult to not sing a long until the very end. For fans of the film, the plot follows the same structure with the same familiar songs like Mamma Mia and Dancing Queen. The staging was very clever with only two moving pieces that flipped depending on whether the actors were inside or outside coupled with props such as chairs to help narrate the scene. This simple staging has enough illusion of the scene and allows the actors and songs to take centre stage.
Mazz Murray as Donna Sheridan was a standout in the cast and her rendition of Winner takes it all was very impactful and had the audience cheering and clapping as she left the scene. Murray was able to project so much emotion into the scene that was captivating. There were other moments that really stood out such as Voulez-Vous and Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!, which were all really well staged. The lighting was able to draw the audience into this party happening on the island and create an immersive environment. I liked how this created a steady incline of intensity that only mirrored Sophie’s anxieties and I liked the way that the lighting spotlighted certain conversations highlighting the changing dynamics in that scene. The use of lighting in scenes like Mamma Mia! where Donna is stunned to see Sam, Harry and Bill standing in her courtyard was really fun. Three white spotlights were on each man but red surrounding Donna as she undergoes this emotional turmoil. Each scene was very well crafted but with a simplicity that showcased the vocal range of the cast, which blended well with the high-energy choreography.
Overall, I really enjoyed the show a second time round and was eagerly awaiting how the next song would tie into the story. I will say that some vocals weren’t as strong as others, and in some places felt that the actor was trying to get through the scene rather than be present in the moment. I did find it difficult to hear certain words in speech and in song, but I don’t know whether that was because of my location in the theatre up high. My biggest highlight was the sing along where the cast appeared to be having a lot of fun in their sparkly costumes dancing to Mamma Mia, Waterloo and Dancing Queen. It is a guarantee that if you want a feel good sing along, ABBA is always the way to go!
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Amy is a writer and reviewer and is currently querying literary agents with her debut fantasy novel inspired by the magic and adventure of Pirates of the Caribbean and grandeur of Bridgerton. For more content click here to read book reviews, short stories and updates on Amy’s writing journey.
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