The hit ABBA musical that still has West End audiences taking a chance on it more than two decades after it first premiered, Mamma Mia! continues to deliver the feel-good factor to London in spades.
Still drawing in the crowds 24 years after its London premiere, having begun its London theatre journey at the Prince Edward Theatre in 1999, Mamma Mia! now plays at the Novello Theatre, where it delights and entertains audiences over and over again!
Written by Catherine Johnson, Mamma Mia! tells the hilarious and heartwarming story of a young woman and her mother who find themselves re-living past events on the eve of the daughter’s wedding.
Set in sun-soaked Greece, the story centres on Sophie, who is about to be married to Sky. While her mother Donna prepares her guest house for the wedding, Sophie is focussing on things other than her husband-to-be. She’s on a mission to find the identity of her real father. Behind her mother’s back she has invited three possible suspects from Donna’s free-loving past life to the wedding.
To Sophie’s shock – and her mother’s surprise – they all turn up. But which one will take her down the aisle and will any of them rekindle relations with Donna?
Mamma Mia! is directed by Phyllida Lloyd, whose directorial credits include The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie at the National Theatre and is produced by Judy Craymer and Richard East.
The 2008 film of the same name, starring Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard and Julie Walters was written, directed and produced by the same creative team, and went on to become the highest grossing live action musical film ever.
The musical features some of ABBA’s most famous songs, including Does Your Mother Know, Dancing Queen, Money Money Money, Take A Chance On Me, Super Trouper, The Winner Takes It All and, of course, the title song Mamma Mia!.
And if you’re a teacher/careers advisor, Education Packs for this show (and more) are available in our Schools Resources area.
Looking to see some musical theatre? Find out more about London musicals.