Mamma Mia - Stage Show

Given i’m a big fan of musical stage shows I knew there was no way I would be missing Mamma Mia. Therefore it was a nice surprise when I flew home for a week to see my family and Mum had bought tickets to see Mamma Mia! So along we all went to the Westpac Arena which I must say was absolutely packed! We bought the programmes, as you do and of course some cocktails in flashing glasses – yum! Before settling in to see what I expected to be amazing. I wasn’t let down.

The cast of Mamma Mia is an English cast (to which my friend said, oh well that explains why it was so good!) It opened to a lot of similarities to the movie starting with ‘I have a dream’ and then onto ‘Honey, Honey’. Miria Parvin who plays Sophie Sheridan did a fantastic job as playing a young girl searching for her father, and her voice is truly something to rave about. I personally didn’t notice any off key or out of tune singing from her. Jackie Clune as Donna Sheridan was also fantastic, emitting a lot of energy and stage presence. I didn’t think, however, that she was quite so strong when it came to belting, however her voice was ideal for songs such as ‘Our Last Summer’ and ‘Slipping Through My Fingers’.

I was a little disappointed in ‘Does Your Mother Know’ as that is possibly my favourite part of Mamma Mia but I didn’t feel there was quite as much energy there. The choreography for the song was great but i’m not entirely sure the song was done justice. It is possible though that i’m a little stuck on how it was all done in the movie. I was also a little disappointed in ‘The Winner Takes It All’. In the movie Meryl Streep, while she may not be an amazing singer, she put so much emotion into that song that it was just so moving. In the show however, that is really a song that you need a talented actress to be able to sing. There just wasn’t the same amount of emotion making it drag a little and seem a bit flat.

The three men, John Alastair as Harry Bright, Michael Beckley as Bill Austin and Cameron Blakely as Sam Carmichael were hilariously funny and played their parts well. They truly added another dimension to the show.

I thoroughly enjoyed the show and would recommend to all who enjoy this type of thing. The finale was upbeat and they even added Waterloo into the finale. They had all the audience up on their feet dancing with hundreds of people waving around their flashing cocktail glasses which proved to be quite a sight! They got a standing ovation which they seriously deserved. I loved this show and would be keen to go back and see it again!