‘Seen by 70 million people in more than 450 cities’ it claims in the programme. So no small cheer then that 26 years after its debut in London, the musical Mamma Mia! is back in little ol’ Oxford until Dec 6 – the New Theatre to be precise.
To those few of you who haven’t seen it yet, and to those of you who are thinking of seeing it for the umpteenth time – come on in; boy are you in for a treat because this show ticks every box you care to throw at it:
The storyline? Tick. Dead easy to follow: Young Sophie (Lydia Hunt) who lives on an idyllic Greek island uses her imminent marriage to try to find the identity of her father so, unbeknownst to her mother Donna (Jenn Griffin), she invites the three possibilities to her wedding, hoping she’ll know instinctively which is the one. The perfect vehicle to demonstrate the love, friendship and kindness of a mother and her grown up daughter, and one that refreshingly puts women – young and middle aged – centre stage.
The songs? Tick. We all know how blinking brilliant ABBA songs are, but it’s the way that this musical uses them – you almost feel the songs coming to life for the first time as the characters sing this musical jukebox to each other, or to themselves, while the lyrics of each number cleverly propel the storyline forward.
The arrangements are exquisite: sometimes tender – ‘Thank You For The Music’ initially just strummed on an acoustic guitar by potential father Harry (Richard Meek); sometimes stomping – take a bow show-stealer Sarah Earnshaw as Tanya during the beach frolic of ‘Does Your Mother Know?’; Sometimes hilarious – Donna’s friend Rosie (Rosie Glossop) chasing another possible dad Bill (Mark Goldthorp) round the church during ‘Take A Chance On Me’.
And let’s not forget them-beneath-the stage – the live band – who are excellent and show how live music only enhances the musical, rather than stilting pre-recorded tracks.
The feel-good factor? Tick. Whether it’s single mum Donna, slightly anxious Sophie, divorcees Sam and Tanya, single Rosie or successful-but-a-bit-empty Harry, they are all definitely us; we see ourselves in them. And what are they doing? Working out their problems by being understanding and kind to each other, which involves a lot of bawdy pratting about, drinking, singing along and dad-dancing to ABBA music. Just like us. Well, me at least.
So there you have it – all boxes ticked. A faultless show and an equally faultless performance (whisper it: this cast can actually sing unlike Piers Brosnan), perfect for these cold rainy winter days, when amidst the doom and gloom, this is the tonic you’ve been looking for.
Edward Bliss
MAMMA MIA The Musical runs at New Theatre Oxford until December 6. BOOK HERE
