Mamma Mia, here we go again! Having been seen by over 60 million theatregoers worldwide, it was about time for Benny and Bjorn magic to take centre stage at the New Theatre Oxford.
The Story
Perhaps the most famous jukebox musical of all time, if you haven’t seen the stage show then you’ve more than likely seen the smash hit film starring Meryl Streep. If the plot is still slipping through your fingers, fear not as here’s a quick summary:
Young Sophie is about to get married on the idyllic Greek island she inhabits with her hotelier mother and former pop star, Donna. Having found her mother’s diary, she secretly invites three of Donna’s former lovers to the wedding, believing one of them to be her father.
Unsurprisingly, Sophie’s plan doesn’t run smoothly but her S.O.S is answered by Donna’s ex-bandmates, the Dynamos, and her potential dads. You’ll have to buy a ticket to find out if she finds her dad and finally says I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do.
The Cast
Lucy May Barker is perfect as the super sweet Sophie and her vocals are spot on; in fact, everyone managed well despite ABBA songs being notoriously difficult to sing. We happened to see Kay Milbourne, the understudy or ‘alternate’ Donna, who it turns out is terrific; if I hadn’t had the programme, I would never have guessed she wasn’t up there every night. She has a great voice and brilliant chemistry on stage with the other actors. Key’s rendition of “Slipping Through my Fingers” stood out in particular; it was heartfelt and powerful contrasting beautifully with the rest of the rather more energetic numbers.
Acting royalty Julie Walter and Christine Baranski set an impossibly high comedic bar in the film as Donna’s hilarious Dynamos. Gillian Hardie and Emma Clifford don’t play Donna’s comical sidekicks in the same way but are raucously flirty and fun nevertheless; Gillian’s over the top seduction of Bill during ‘Take a Chance on Me’ was cringingly good. Earlier, Emma had paired up with Morgan Jackson as Pepper on “Does Your Mother Know”, beautifully mocking his impressive dance routine to leave the audience in stitches.
Whilst they may be great actors, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård and Colin Firth are definitely not the best singers in the Mamma Mia! movie. Luckily, the fatherly trio on stage in Oxford were rather more vocally capable and had the audience rooting for them throughout. Jon Boydon has a silky smooth voice and charm to match as Sam Carmichael, whilst the equally talented Jamie Hogarth and Christopher Hollis round out this trio of potential Dads. They bounced perfectly off Donna and the ladies to keep the laughter coming. Keep an eye out for their stunning costumes in the finale too!
The Verdict
With ABBA’s entire back catalogue to choose from, it’s no surprise that Mamma Mia! is jam-packed with toe tapping tunes and fan favourites. The story might be rather ridiculous but it carries the audience on a well considered journey; unlike some jukebox musicals, the songs enhance proceedings and thankfully don’t feel remotely shoe horned in (unlike my puns).
Come the finale, the audience were on their feet, singing, dancing and quite possibly shouting Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! more. If you are looking for a tale of love, laughter and friendship, this is definitely the musical for you.
Where can you see Mamma Mia?
When all is said and done, you’re guaranteed a great night singing along and releasing your inner dancing queen. Handy then that Mamma Mia is at New Theatre Oxford for two whole weeks until Saturday 25th November. It then heads to Glasgow for December to complete its 2017 tour, before starting again early 2018 in Llandudno.