One of the world's most popular musicals, MAMMA MIA! has audiences dancing in the aisles at Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre. Seen by over 40 million people around the world, MAMMA MIA!, is celebrating over 3,400 performances in its ninth smash hit year at Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre and remains one of Broadway's top selling musicals. The current North American Tour has played over 3,000 performances in over 130 cities with 125 repeat visits.
The original West End production of MAMMA MIA! is celebrating 10 years and over 4,000 performances in London, an international tour has visited more than 40 foreign cities, and the blockbuster feature film adaptation is the most successful movie musical of all time grossing over $600 million worldwide.
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd and inspired by the story-telling magic of ABBA's timeless songs, MAMMA MIA! is Judy Craymer's vision of staging writer Catherine Johnson's sunny, funny tale of family and friendship unfolding on a tiny Greek island. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter's quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother's past back to the island they had last visited 20 years ago. Songs including "Dancing Queen," "The Winner Takes It All," "Money, Money, Money" and "Take a Chance on Me" are all featured in this feel-good musical.
'Mamma Mia!' flies as tuneful as a lark and as smart as a cuckoo. It offers one of those nights when you sit back and let a nutty kind of joy just sweep over you... The true hero is British playwright Catherine Johnson, who took all these songs and cobbled a cohesive book around them. Genius. Phyllida Lloyd's staging gets the very last ounce of fun and sentiment out of the show - it's dazzlingly fast and breathtakingly simple - while Anthony Van Laast's choreography supports it at every turn.
The jerry-built result predictably leaves the show dependent on the songs, the production values, and the performers. The plot now has Donna's daughter, Sophie, getting married and, wanting to find her father, inviting all three men she finds in her mother's diary to the impending nuptials, unbeknown to Mom. All three show up, as do, for other reasons, the two female backup singers who, long ago, performed in Donna's trio. Since this meets most people's preposterousness quota, enough of plot summary, and on to more relevant matters. I did not grow up on Abba's music, but I didn't mind the songs Andersson and Ulvaeus wrote for the musical Chess, which were purposefully created for that show. Abba's music must have something to it: How can more than 350 million worldwide record sales be wrong? (Or can they?) The lyrics are good enough for Swedes writing in English; most of them cannot be heard over the din, anyway. If you happen to have a couple of spare eardrums, be sure to bring them along. That said, I found the score neither unbearable nor something I'd miss if I never heard it again.
2000 | Toronto |
Toronto Production Toronto |
2001 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2002 | US Tour |
2nd National Tour US Tour |
2003 | Las Vegas |
Las Vegas Production Las Vegas |
2014 | Las Vegas |
Las Vegas Production Las Vegas |
2017 | Los Angeles |
Hollywood Bowl Production Los Angeles |
2021 | West End |
Original London Production West End |
2021 | West End |
London Immersive Production West End |
2023 | US Tour |
North American Tour US Tour |
2024 | West End |
West End |
2030 | West End |
London Immersive Production West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | Theatre World Awards | Performance | Louise Pitre |
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