The couple behind us at Oxford’s New Theatre had never seen Mamma Mia the film or the musical and had no idea what was about to unfold. Everyone stared at them. How could they have missed it? Where had they been?
“who doesn’t need a bit of that Greek sun to thaw the bones?”
Regardless of Meryl Streep and co bursting onto our screens back in 2008, 65 million people worldwide have watched the musical since it first opened in 1999. At least they’d heard of ABBA!
But the vast majority of us knew exactly what was coming, and it was good to be back in the Greek Islands again as Donna (Sara Poyzer) prepared to host her daughter Sophie’s wedding, oblivious to the fact that Sophie (played so ably by ensemble member Phoebe Roberts that night) had secretly invited the three men who might be her father along for the ride.
“you forget the exhilaration of the live performance and the sheer energy involved”
And what a ride, from the arrival of her bridesmaids and best friends Ali (Jasmine Shen) and Lisa (Mariella Mazzilli), to Donna’s old band mates Rosie (Nicky Swift) and the infamous Tanya (Helen Anker) as well as the dads Sam (Blair Robertson), Harry (Daniel Crowder) and Bill (Phil Corbitt) alongside fiancé Sky (Toby Miles) and his island buddies.
And the whirlwind of singing, dancing, partying, secrets, confessions, preparations and reflections whisks us away, accompanied by ABBA hit after ABBA hit, pulling the story together as the pace quickens.
And while it’s hard not to compare the cast with their Hollywood contemporaries, you forget the exhilaration of the live performance and the sheer energy involved.
How Donna and her wedding guests keep belting out those high notes I’ll never know, but the dynamic momento keeps the tempo pulsing until the very end, as the entire audience rose to their feet to sing along to Voulez Vous.
Mamma Mia may not be the most festive of shows but is so universally adored, accessible and consistently brilliant, that it’s the perfect antidote this Christmas. And who doesn’t need a bit of that Greek sun to thaw the bones?
Mamma Mia is at Oxford’s New Theatre until December 31 https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/mamma-mia/new-theatre-oxford/
