The Guardian
"Irresistible, feel-good fun - audiences are swept away on a tide of Abba classics."
There are jukebox musicals, and then there is Mamma Mia! - the show that turned ABBA’s back catalogue into a story so joyful it has kept audiences dancing in the aisles for over two decades. It has played in London since 1999 and now calls the Novello Theatre home, where it remains one of the most reliably feel-good nights out in the West End.
The setting is a sun-baked Greek island, where Sophie is about to get married. There is just one snag: she has never known who her father is, and after secretly reading her mother Donna’s old diary she has narrowed it down to three very different men, then invited all of them to the wedding without telling anyone. What follows is a warm, funny tangle of old flames, second chances and mother-daughter love, set to some of the most singable pop songs ever written.
Why it’s worth the watch
Mamma Mia! has outlasted almost everything around it for one simple reason: it sends people home happy. Here is what makes it work:
- The songs. ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘The Winner Takes It All’, ‘Super Trouper’ and the title track - ABBA’s catalogue is wall-to-wall hits, and the show earns every one by weaving it naturally into the story.
- The feel-good factor. It is funny, big-hearted and completely unpretentious, which is exactly why audiences come back again and again.
- The finale. The megamix curtain call turns the whole theatre into a dancefloor; very few shows send you out on this kind of high.
- A show for everyone. With a recommended age of 5 and up, it is one of the gentlest ways to give a younger family member their first taste of live theatre.
