Mamma Mia!

The release of the film last year broke all kinds of box office and then DVD sales records, so perhaps its timely to revisit where it all begin for this Swedish-sensation of a show, the original blockbusting stage version of Mamma Mia!

Bringing a dose of Scandinavian pop history to the Prince of Wales Theatre, Mamma Mia! tells the story of a girl, about to be married, trying to discover which one out of three potential fathers is actually the right one to walk her down the aisle, and which one her mother still has feelings for. In many ways however the plot is secondary to the songs which get to be sung, all the great Abba hits are there and, any groans you might voice about how contrived the move into a song may be will soon be overtook by the lyrics dancing unstoppably from your mouth. This is, as one critic has said, just Abba-solutley fabulous; it’s deliberately daft and fun and, in such times as these, isn’t that exactly what we need?

Benny and Bjorn, two of the original members of the Swedish pop foursome, were behind the original impetus to make the show and thus much of the old Abba ambience of camp and glitz remains. A cast with the likes of Katie Brayben, Jodie Read and Laura Selwood may lack the international A-list pull of the blockbuster film, but this is not necessarily a bad thing, as the characters, rather than the actor’s personalities, are what come through most of all. If you like your musicals with subtle plots, exciting, unpredictable twists and songs that feel necessary then this is, 100% certainly, not the musical for you. Nor should you attend if you’re not a fan of Abba’s music. If you are though, and you don’t mind the fact that this isn’t so much a coherent musical as just a celebration of Abba’s music, then you won’t be disappointed.

There are matinees every Friday, as well as two evening performances on a Saturday and, despite this high number of weekly performances, the show continues to sell out, more than four years since its original arrival on the London's West End. Tickets start at £20 but go all the way up to around £55 so it might not be the cheapest show in town, but it’s certainly trying its hardest to be the most fun!