Review # 36: Mamma Mia! (West End)

 Mamma Mia! Here we go again with another review. This time I will be reviewing Mamma Mia! Which is currently playing on the West End. Is it as good as they say? Find out in this review!

Plot: Mamma Mia! Is similar to the 2008 movie musical of the same name starring Amanda Seyfried and Meryl Streep. Mamma Mia! is about Sophie, a young woman who lives in Greece with her mother Donna. For twenty years of her life, Sophie has never known the identity of her father. Until she discovers a diary from her mother's past. After reading her diary, she discovers three men who could possibly be her father. With her wedding day just around the corner, she decides to invite her three possible fathers, Sam, Bill, and Harry to her wedding. All of them come to Greece but they are all led to believe that Donna invited them to the wedding, not realizing Sophie secretly invited them instead. As the wedding approaches, Sophie tries to figure out which one of them is her father while Donna is confronted by the men of her past. Will Sophie discover who her real father is before her wedding day? Find out in Mamma Mia! The plot is exciting, hilarious and fun for everyone who comes to see the musical. The only complaint I had was the dream sequence in act two. Even though it represented Sophie's fears, it felt odd and a bit uncomfortable to watch. It could have been easily taken out of the show. Other than that, I really enjoyed the plot of the show. 

Characters: I adored the on-stage mother-daughter relationship that Donna and Sophie have. The fact that Sophie rather has Donna give her way is so sweet and heart-warming. I also enjoyed Donna's level of protectiveness towards Sophie when the men realize they might be her father.  I found it interesting that they made Donna feel more stressed and annoyed in this show when all the men show up, especially when she interacts with Sam. However, it is clear that both Donna and Sam still have feelings for each other, even after all those years. Other characters such as Bill, Harry, Tanya (Donna's friend), Rosie (Donna's friend), and Sky (Sophie's fiancé) are all filled with so much energy and humor. I love how each of them has a different personality and characteristics which makes the show more entertaining. These characters will make you want to come back for more. 

Songs: Something I forgot to mention was Mamma Mia! Is actually a jukebox musical. All of the songs featured in the show are songs from the band ABBA. Songs such as "I Have a Dream", "Lay All Your Love on Me", "Super Trouper", "Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie! (A Man After Midnight)", "SOS", "The Winner Takes It All", "Take a Chance on Me", "Thank You for the Music", "Waterloo", and of course ABBA's famous songs "Mamma Mia" and "Dancing Queen". Even if you are not a big jukebox musical fan, all of these songs are upbeat and they will make you want to get up and dance. Even if you never heard of ABBA's music before, you are bound to enjoy some of the songs in the show. 

Sets: The sets were the only disappointing thing in the show for me. I didn’t like the white and blue striped background that the show had. I think they wanted it to look like the ocean but it just felt unusual. Another thing I did not enjoy was the show only had two walls to represent all of the settings in the show. It was just disappointing because the sets were supposed to represent an island in Greece and the show could have done it so much better. However, I will give the show credit for being twenty-four years old and the fact that it is hard to represent an island on Grecce on the stage. However, with the recent use of projections in shows, Mamma Mia! could get an update on the sets. 

Overall Mamma Mia! is an exciting and amazing musical to see. Anyone who is a fan of ABBA and the movie-musical should definitely come to see this show. Even if you have never heard of ABBA or never watched the film, you are bound to have the time of your life. I recommend this show to adults, teens, and children over the age of twelve. There is a little bit of cursing and sexual humor so I would not recommend bringing children under twelve. So if you are in the West End area, I definitely recommend checking out Mamma Mia!