Based on the songs of Swedish pop band ABBA and written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, Mamma Mia! has been played in more than 40 countries in all 6 continents and has been translated into 22 languages. Over 60 million people have seen the show worldwide and it has set the record for premiering in more cities faster than any other musical in history.  Pretty amazing huh?

With original members of the band and composers of the original music for ABBA, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, being involved in the development of Mamma Mia! from the beginning, it’s no surprise that the show is packed with fun and entertainment from the opening scene.

Sail away to the white washed idyllic Greek Island of Kalokairi and say Thank You For The Music of ABBA with the global hit, Mamma Mia! The Musical.

Sophie (Lucy May Barker) is due to marry Sky (Philip Ryan), a former stock broker who ditched the cut throat world of Wall Street and moved to the Greek island where headstrong Sophie lives with her fiercely independent and hard-working mother, Donna (Helen Hobson) at her Taverna.  A  former  lead singer of “Donna and the Dynamos” where she toured with her best friends head to toe in spandex and sparkles, Donna found herself as a single mother after some fun in the sun and tumbles in the sand.

Sophie longs for a traditional family and a father figure in her life especially with a walk down the aisle looming and after discovering Donna’s detailing her rendezvous from 20 years previous, there are three possible fathers… and they’re all on the RSVP list.

Will they accept Sophie’s invite, who will walk her down the aisle and and will Donna’s blast from the past bring back old feelings and regret over a love lost?

Despite featuring more than 20 of ABBA’s much loved hits, including “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!”, “I Have A Dream”, “Does Your Mother Know”, “Chiquitita” and “The Winner Takes It All”, this is no usual jukebox musical where the songs are thrown in to ensure the audience get their monies worth.  Instead, the songs are cleverly woven into the narrative and add an extra layer of depth and fun to the celebrations.

Donna’s performance of “Slipping Through My Fingers” showed a particularly poignant moment between mother and daughter on the morning of Sophie’s wedding day and was in complete contrast to the hilarious versions of  “Does Your Mother Know” from ultimate cougar Tanya and  “Take A Chance On Me” from Rosie.

Mamma Mia! The Musical will be at the Regent Theatre until 29th April.  Tickets for the show can be purchased online or via the Box Office.