Mamma Mia, currently playing at Manchester’s Opera House is possibly the most glorious, uplifting, unforgettable night out you could have this February, says Jo Grady
As we edge slowly towards spring, with dark nights still creeping in, there’s a corner of Manchester that, for a limited time only, is offering the most wonderful, joy-filled respite from the winter months by transporting us to a sun-soaked Greek island with ABBA classics galore, a superb cast, laughter and tears in a rip-roaring, unforgettable show.
MAMMA MIA! hits Manchester, fresh for 2023, and what a way to do so. From the opening scene, where we find Sophie rolling the dice and changing her future forever, to the rousing finale filled with hilarity, a riot of colour and raw emotion, take a chance on MAMMA MIA – you won’t be disappointed.
The show has delighted over 65 million people across 450 cities, and centres on Sophie, who’s about to marry her sweetheart, but is searching for the missing piece of her family jigsaw. With her three possible fathers in tow, she begins a journey that will bring them all together and give her mother plenty to think about in the process. Using ABBA songs and lyrics to perfectly portray the emotions felt along the way, the audience is pulled along with the story of Sophie and Donna and the enveloping feeling of love that surrounds them.
With all the classic ABBA songs included, it’s not difficult to pick out several favourite moments. The wonderfully staged Super Trouper sees Donna, Sophie’s mum – played by the fantastic Sara Poyzer – and her two best friends, Rosie and Tanya, wearing the most amazing costumes, to belt out this ABBA classic. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the sparkles, sequins and metres of billowing fabric. It really is a highlight of the show.
As Rosie and Tanya, Nicky Swift and Sarah Earnshaw bring great skill in injecting humour at just the right time, and Sarah’s rendition of Does Your Mother Know had the entire theatre in stitches. Rosie’s performance of Take A Chance On Me, with Bill Austin (played by Phil Corbett), was a huge success and the audience clearly loved it, and Slipping Through My Fingers was delivered with heartfelt motherly perfection by Sara.
The creator of MAMMA MIA!, Judy Craymer said The Winner Takes It All “can make you laugh and feel good at the same time”, and that’s certainly true of its inclusion in the emotional scene where Donna and Sam reminisce on their doomed romance.
There were newbies to MAMMA MIA! in the audience last night, marvelling at what they witnessed, and of course many die-hard ABBA and MAMMA MIA! fans. I overheard one gentleman proudly discussing having seen ABBA Voyage nine times, and he was thrilled with what he had witnessed in front of him. High praise indeed.
Whatever their level of ABBA mania, every single audience member was up on their feet for a life-affirming, sensational finale, with Donna and her best friends, again wearing the most magnificent costumes, and joined halfway through by Bill, Sam and Harry, for an audience-rousing rendition of Waterloo. It was the perfect ending to a perfect evening.
As we all filed out of the Opera House, even the Manchester rain couldn’t dampen the collective happiness that was clear to see on every single face. MAMMA MIA! brought unbridled joy to us all on a cold February evening.
Mamma Mia! plays in Manchester until 11 February, atgtickets.com/shows/mamma-mia
