Mamma Mia is a fascinating mother and daughter comedy and a musical that has been making the headlines for over half a century. It is estimated that over 50 million people from all around the globe have not only watched Mamma Mia, but also enjoyed its characters and fallen in love with the music and the story line.
Mamma Mia! Poster signed by New York Cast - Flickr/razlan79
Mamma Mia!: a bit of background
Mamma Mia! Poster - Wikimedia Commons
However, those who have never heard of it should know that 'Mamma Mia' is a feel-good show based on the songs of an internationally acclaimed Swedish pop group that topped the charts several times in Europe, Australia and North America between 1972 and 1982 - ABBA.
In West End, the musical premiered on the stage of Prince Edward Theatre on April 6th 1999. On June 9th 2004, Mamma Mia was moved to Prince of Wales Theatre, where it showed until September 2012, when it was again transferred, this time to Novello Theatre.
Originally, the cast of this musical consisted of Hilton McRae, Lisa Stoke and Siobhan McCarthy. The movie adaptation released in 2008 features Meryl Streep in the mother's role, while the daughter's role is skillfully interpreted by the young and charming Amanda Seyfried. However, the theatre production is taunted to be the best due to the choreography, lighting and the many musical numbers.
Mamma Mia!: the story
The storyline tells the story of a young girl and bride-to-be, Sophie Sheridan, who is getting married. Her mother, Donna is not very happy with her decision. The problem is that Sophie doesn't know her real father and wants to find out who he is before she gets married.
Sophie goes through her mother's journal and comes up with three candidates—Sam, Harry and Bill. Sam is an American architect, Bill a Swedish adventurer and writer, while Harry is a British banker. She decides to invite the three men to the Greek island of Kalokairi they had all visited some twenty years back just before her nuptials.
Her mother on the other hand invites her best friends—Tanya, a rich divorcée and Rosie, a carefree woman, who has never been married. The three friends are glad to be together and spend most of their time catching up. Donna is shocked when her three ex-lovers arrive and she shares her distress with her friends.
This enchanting love story is told in a magical way through the timeless songs by ABBA, such as Mamma Mia, Chiquitita, Dancing Queen and Lay All Your Love for Me, among others. The interactions between characters are funny and witty, keeping the viewers captivated.
Mamma Mia has an unpredictable ending as the three men promise to walk Sophie down the aisle, each claiming to be her biological father.
