REVIEW: Mamma Mia!
The feel-good ABBA musical Mamma Mia! makes a scorching hot return to wintry West Midlands.
Mama Mia! is now playing at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.
The jukebox musical Mamma Mia! has been delighting audiences and packing out theatres since it first opened in the West End in 1999. With a book by Catherine Johnson, the show has become a global phenomenon which has been seen by 70 million people in over 450 cities, and it culminated in a Hollywood film version in 2008 which was helmed by British director Phyllida Lloyd - who also directed the original stage version - and starred Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgård.
The hugely popular film adaptation of the stage show became one of the highest grossing musicals raking in over $600 million at the international box office. Fans often make the mistake of thinking the film came BEFORE the stage show when the reverse is the truth. It was the critically-acclaimed original stage show that inspired the Hollywood film.
Mamma Mia! is producer Judy Craymer’s ingenious vision of staging the storytelling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs and weaving them into a bright, sunny, funny tale of a mother, a daughter and her three possible dads who all meet and collide on an idyllic Greek island.
The unforgettable music and lyrics for the show are supplied by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. The pop band has been entertaining music lovers since the 1970s, and their songs continue to remain fresh, exciting, and engaging, with timeless lyrics and melodies which speak to a modern audience.
The selection of hit songs from the ABBA music catalogue cover everything from the darkness of heartbreak, loneliness, and long buried secrets, to the light of joy, love, celebration and redemption.
Mamma Mia! taps into the themes contained inside ABBA songs and uses them in the show. The show creators allow the lyrics in the songs to act as the glue which pulls along the narrative of the drama of a young woman searching for her father and her identity while at the same time trying to organise her upcoming wedding.
The music is rich and vibrant, and it surges over the audience like waves of familiar warmth that heats up the body and imagination with thrilling energy.
Amongst the many classic and rollicking ABBA songs included in the show are tracks such as Dancing Queen, I Have a Dream, One of Us, Super Trouper, The Name of the Game, Knowing Me, Knowing You, The Winner Takes It All, and Mama Mia. When the time came for the poignant and heartbreaking Slipping Through My Fingers the impact upon the audience, especially the mothers in attendance, was absolutely palpable and profound. Seated in the auditorium were groups of families, sometimes three generations - grandmother, mother, and daughter - and the melancholy lyrics of the ABBA song struck an evocative and emotional chord about time marching relentlessly on as a loving mother watches with sadness and regret as her precious daughter’s childhood vanishes day by day as she grows up to womanhood and the past becomes a memory of innocent and carefree days when life was full of gurgling laughter, innocent games, singing sweet nursery rhymes, afternoon naps snuggled together, and later - as the little girl heads off to school - the mother packing her daughter’s bag, holding her hands and walking with her, and bit by bit, the mother begins to lose her daughter to a cold and heartless world that rarely pauses to reflect and take stock. There were quite a few wet eyes in the audience.
The casting choices for this delightful and bubbly show are impeccable. The crew, from dancers and singers, were absolutely sensational as they sang and danced through the sublime ABBA catalogue.
The luminous Hazel Baldwin plays the role of Sophie who is searching desperately for her father. Baldwin’s natural charm and strong vocals won over the audience instantly, and her witty comic timing added depth to her character.
The role of Sophie’s mother was performed by Ashleigh Jones for the press night, and what a performer she proved to be. The role of Donna is really demanding, both physically and emotionally, and Jones delivers on both fronts. It was astounding to see her hold some really challenging poses and dance moves while she sang, and to prove she was a real trooper she went from one set piece to another without taking a break or losing her breath. Her scenes with Sophie are poignant and full of an emotional ache that hits the hearts of the audience. The rawness of her pain as she realises that she is losing her daughter are layered with a soulful intimacy that lingers in the air.
The dazzling vitality of Anthony Van Laast choreography sparkles and showers over the stage like colourful confetti that makes the senses race. People were toe tapping in the seats, wriggling and clapping, and totally in tune with the dancers on the stage who glided through Van Lasst's magical choreography.
The costumes and outfits, including high heels and platform shoes, are a razzmatazz of colour and retro-style that would look perfectly at home in the hedonistic world of Las Vegas.
Mark Thompson’s production design is minimal and imaginative, and allows the audience to immediately home in on the lyrical rhythms of the songs and drama rather than get swamped and distracted by huge sets.
Howard Harrison’s lighting matches Thompson’s creative production, both complimenting and highlighting the psychedelic colours that fly and dance freely in dreams. The lighting design is absolutely vibrant and lush, and it almost becomes a character in its own unique manner, conveying the moods and emotions felt by the cast on the stage.
The finale left the audience standing on their feet with rapture and joy, and the cast of Mamma Mia! returned the love by offering a triumphant encore to the appreciative audience who were dancing and clapping in the aisles.
After the last few years of division and fear, with politicians failing to unite and heal communities, it’s so refreshing to see a theatre show like Mama Mia! which welcomes and invites people from all communities to share a night of pure joy and laughter.
This show has the key ingredients of music, drama and dancing, with a peppering of light and love, which thrills and makes the heart and soul soar sky high.
Mama Mia! is one of the most joyous and feel-good shows of our times.
Verdict: ★★★★★
Mamma Mia! is now playing at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre until Saturday 7th November 2026
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